New Family
by NaleyNaley2312
Summary: Deb is engaged to a man named William, and Nathan, Haley, and the rest of the Scott Family have to deal with the fact that they are about to receive some new family.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first story, so it's probably going to be pretty terrible. I'm sorry if there are some mistakes, I really tried though.**

 **This story is about how the Scott Family deals with the fact that Deb is getting married, and they are going to have a few new family members now.**

 **Chapter One**

Nathan let out a deep breath, staring at himself in the bathroom mirror. He pulled his button up shirt up around his shoulders, glancing towards the shower as the water shut off, followed by an arm reaching out a grabbing the bath robe that was hanging on the hook. A second later, Haley stepped out, wrapping the bathrobe around herself, tying it tightly. "Nathan, stop stressing." She hummed, laughing quietly. "Haley, how can I stop? This is absolutely insane. My mom. She's engaged to a guy that we've never met." Nathan grumbled, rubbing his fingers down his face. Haley rubbed his back lightly, pressing a soft kiss to his covered shoulder blade. "It will be fine, baby. I'll be right there by your side." She laughed.

He glanced over at her, a small smirk appearing on his face. "You know, Brooke can still pick up the kids and we can forget the dinner and-" He was cut off as Haley held up her hand to silence him. "Nope, Nathan. This is happening. If you behave, maybe later." She said, winking at him, before walking out of the bathroom.

Nathan shook his head, spreading shaving cream all over his cheeks, picking up the razor and beginning to shave off his slight stubble. Haley walked back in a minute later, wearing a black sleeveless that reached to barely above her knees. "Come on, Nathan. Get moving." She laughed as she watched him spread shaving cream on his face yet again. Haley picked up a towel, wiping it off his face. "We've been married for fifteen years, Nathan. I can tell when you're just wasting time." She smiled at him, shaking her head and pinching his cheek. Nathan sighed softly, looking down at her for a second, before smoothing out his hair, continuing to move as slowly as possible as he got ready.

"Nathan, come on." Haley said, shaking her head. She grabbed him by his shirt, turning Nathan towards her, beginning to button up white shirt. "Usually you're taking off my shirt, not putting it on." He sighed softly, looking down at her. Haley laughed quietly, picking up his blue striped tie off the counter, wrapping it around his neck. She pulled him down, kissing him softly. "I'm sorry, Nathan. I know this is probably going to be weird, but it has to happen sometime." She began to tie his tie, patting his chest once finished. "Okay, now get out of here. I need to finish getting ready, and you, are distracting me." Haley smiled at him, patting his butt as he walked out.

Nathan walked out of their room, tapping on their nearly 14 year old son Jamie's door. "Jame, let's at moving buddy. Brooke will be here soon. Don't forget you were supposed to pack an over night bag." He said. "Okay!" Jamie replied, "I'm bringing the play station, so you'll have to find something else to do later." He said. Nathan chuckled, shaking his head. 'Oh, I will.' He thought.

Nathan hurried to their four year old's room, pushing the door open. He smiled at her, watching her play with her toys, completely oblivious to him entering the room. Nathan sat down next to her, "Hey Lyd." He smiled, hugging her softly. "Did Mom back you some clothes?" He asked, looking around the room. "Yeah." Lydia hummed in reply, pointing to the pink bag across the room. "Alright, well Aunt Brooke will be here soon. You be good, and make sure not to make her house a mess." Nathan smiled at her, kissing her head.

Nathan stood up when he heard a knock on the door, followed by it opening and closing. "Alright, kiddo. Let's get down there." He smiled, picking up her back, slinging it on his shoulder. Lydia ran ahead of him, out of the room and down the stairs. He smiled when he heard her cheering Brooke's name. "Come on, Jamie!" He called out, heading down the stairs. "Hey Brooke." He said, nodding at her. Brooke smiled at him, setting Lydia down. "How're you doing, Nate? Getting ready for tonight?" She asked him softly. "Oh, you know. It's just a little weird. Plus the fact that I'm going to have three new step siblings is very weird." Nathan said, brushing his fingers through his hair. Brooke chuckled softly, "Yeah, I bet. It seems weird that Lucas won't be your only sibling anymore." She said, shrugging. "Well, Julian and I love having your kids over, and Davis and Jude absolutely love Jamie." She smiled, rubbing his back. "We're here for you guys, whenever you need it. Plus, it won't be as bad as you think it will be." Brooke nodded at him, smiling at Jamie as he came downstairs. "Hey Jamie. Why don't you go put you and Lydia's stuff in the back of the car?" She suggested. Jamie nodded, taking Lydia's stuff and heading outside.

Haley hurried down the stairs, pulling on her black heels. "Hey Brooke!" She greeted, hurrying over to hug her. "Thank you so much for taking them. We can come get them afterwards, if you'd like?" Haley suggested, shaking her head at Nathan as he cleared his throat. "Oh no, don't worry about it. I love your kids. But next time Julian and I want some alone time, I'm sending them your way." Brooke smirked, kinking one eyebrow. Haley laughed, nodding. "Any time, I love those kids too so.." She shrugged her shoulders. "You look great, by the way." Brooke said, glancing over at Nathan. "You too, Nate. Just try to get that look off your face, makes you look sad and bored." She laughed.

Nathan shook his head, picking up Lydia. "Let's get you in Aunt Brooke's car. Say goodbye to your mother." He said to Lydia, watching as Haley leaned over, hugging their daughter and kissing her cheek. "Be good for Aunt Brooke. Do what she says, and make sure to listen to Jamie." She said, smiling at her. Haley waved at Jamie, who wave back with a smile on his face. Nathan walked outside with Brooke, buckling Lydia up in one of her sons' car seats. He turned to Jamie, patting his shoulder. "Be good. Be nice to Lydia, and let Davis and Jude play video games with you. Or give them controllers and let them pretend." Nathan laughed. Jamie nodded, "Of course, Dad. Good luck. Keep that temper in check." He smirked, climbing into Brooke's car. Brooke walked over to Nathan, pulling him into a hug. "If you need an excuse, let me know and I will call you and say that one of my kids is sick so you need to come get yours so they don't. Haley doesn't need to know." She said softly, nodding at him. "Thanks Brooke. This is going to be weird, but I'll manage. I might keep your offer in mind." Nathan said, walking around the car to the driver's side, pulling open the door. "Drive safe. Don't be scare to threaten them." He laughed, waving at Brooke as she nodded and drove out of their drive way.

Nathan turned and looked at Haley, who was standing by the front door, smiling at him. Haley held up his suit coat, "Come on, Nathan. Smile. It won't be that bad." She said to him as he walked inside, handing him his jacket. Nathan let out a deep sigh, "I just don't know how this is going to play out. I'm happy for my mom. She deserves a guy that makes her happy, but new siblings? I barely like Lucas." He joked, wrapping his arms around Haley. Haley hugged him tightly, rubbing his back. "Lucas will always be my favorite, but I'm sure I'll like these girls too. Now we both have three sisters." She said, resting her hand on his cheek. "Sisters." Nathan scoffed, "I can't even handle your sisters that well, let own some of my own." He grumbled. "Let's just hope you haven't slept with any of them." Haley jabbed him with her elbow, kissing him. "I'm just kidding. The oldest was only ten when we got married, so that's out of the question. Remember that Megan is 25, Nicole is 17, and Jordan is 13. Oh, and don't forget that his name is William." She teased.

Nathan opened his mouth to reply, glancing up as the doorbell rang. "No, Haley. I don't want to do this." He groaned, resting his forehead on her head. Haley kissed him quickly, rubbing his cheek. "It will be alright." She said softly, rubbing his chest for a moment, before pulling him to the door. She pulled it open, smiling brightly at Deb and her fiancé, William. "Hello, Haley." Deb said, hugging her quickly, followed by William giving Haley a quick, sort of awkward hug. Nathan hugged Deb quickly, shaking William's hand. "Nice to see you again, William." He said, nodding his head at the shorter man. William nodded at him, "You two as well. How are you doing this evening?" He asked quietly, looking over at Nathan, who was zoning out on his tie. Haley looked over at Nathan, grabbing his hand slowly, intertwining their fingers. "We're doing well, thank you." She said, smiling. "The girls are meeting us there. Let's get going, shall we?" William suggested, smiling at Deb, who nodded. The older couple headed towards the car. Nathan let out a deep breath, before following after them.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own any of these characters, except the ones that I made up.**

 **Chapter 2**

Nathan let out a deep breath, helping Haley into the back of William's car, climbing in after her. The whole car ride was fairly silent, Deb and Haley making occasional conversation. Haley would occasionally elbow him and he would add an occasional "Yeah" or an "Uh huh" but that was all Nathan had said, mostly just wanting the night to be over already.

Once arriving at the restaurant, Nathan scrambled out of the back seat, helping Haley out. Haley linked her arm through his, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. "Nathan, just try to relax a little, okay?" She whispered, smiling at him. Nathan nodded slowly, sending her a small smile in return. Haley flattened out some of his hair that was ruffled from him running his fingers through it, letting out a small sigh as she felt her husband immediately tense up again as they walked inside.

William led them over to a table where three girls were sitting at, watching as they all stood up when the foursome joined. Jordan stood up first, waving at Nathan and Haley. "Hello." She said softly. Haley smiled at her, "Hello, you must be Jordan." She said softly. "I'm Haley, and this is my husband Nathan. He's Deb's son, and he's a little shy so don't mind him." Haley glanced over her shoulder at Nathan, nodding her head towards the thirteen year old. Nathan put a fake smile on his face, "Hi Jordan. It's nice to meet you." He said, glancing at Megan as she stood up. "Hello Nathan, Haley. I'm Megan." She said, shaking both of their hands. "I know it was awhile ago, but it's still too bad that you had to retire from the Bobcats. You were a very good player." She said politely. Nathan nodded at her, "Yeah, well. As much as I miss it, I love being home more often." He said, smiling slightly. The last girl stood up, shaking both of their hands silently. "So, you must be Nicole." Haley finally said after a few seconds of silence. "It's very nice to meet you." She said, smiling. Nicole nodded in reply, before the seventeen year old sat down. Haley looked at Nathan, raising her eyebrows and shrugging slightly before taking a seat next to Megan. Nathan let out a deep breath, taking a seat between Haley and his mother, closing his eyes and wrapping his arm around Haley's chair.

A few minutes into dinner, things were still fairly uncomfortable, with plenty of awkward silences. Nathan let out a deep sigh, tugging on his tie a little bit, shifting slightly. He glanced over at Haley, who was in the middle of a quiet conversation with Megan. Nathan looked around the table, making eye contact with his mother, who leaned her was towards William. "So... William." He cleared his throat, sitting up a bit straighter. "What do you do for a living?" Nathan asked him. He glanced over at Nicole, who scoffed at him. "He's engaged to your mother and you don't even know his job?" She grumbled under her breath, causing the awkwardness to raise at the table. Nathan opened his mouth to snap back at her, before he felt Haley's hand rest on his leg, giving his thigh a soft squeeze. William cleared his throat, "I'm a lawyer." He said in reply, before looking over at Deb. Nathan let out a quiet sigh, glancing over at Haley. Haley was laughing at something Megan had said to her. "No, no. I can top that. Look at my husband. My big, strong, basketball playing husband. One day, it was just him and me home, I can't remember where our kids were, but Nathan decided to take a shower while I made dinner. After a couple minutes, I hear him screaming my name. Literally, screaming. So I run upstairs and into the bathroom, and all I can think about is how it's over, he won't be able to walk anymore, nothing. But there he was, standing there in the shower with his eyes covered up. I asked him what was wrong, and without looking at me, he says 'I got soap in my eyes.' My husband. Who has been thrown threw a window and recovered from a shattered spine was in so much pain for getting soap in his eyes." She laughed loudly, Megan joining in. Nathan sighed softly, shaking his head at the story his wife had just told his soon to be step sister. This was going to be a long night.

About half way through the dinner, Haley had told the waiter to cut Nathan off from all things alcohol. He wasn't drunk yet, but with the way that he had been drinking. Nicole had continued to make snappy remarks towards everyone all night, despite Megan's remarks for her to stop.

Eventually, Deb turned to Nathan. "Honey, we wanted to talk to you for a second. Feel free to say no, but you would really be helping us out if you agreed..." She began. Nathan glanced over at Haley, a slightly panicked look in his eye. "So, the wedding will be in two weeks, in Hawaii..." Deb said, looking around the table. Nathan choked on the water he was drinking, tugging on his collar and Haley rubbed his back. "Two weeks? That's very soon..." He trailed off, sending her a tight smile. Deb shrugged her shoulders, "It may be soon, but we're ready." She said, smiling. "We're happy for you, Deb. Really." Haley said, nodding at her. "Anyways, well... We are thinking about moving to Tree Hill, and need a place to stay while we look at houses. And we were wondering if maybe we could stay with you, in your house? Just for a week or so, the girls would be joining us, including Megan probably since she isn't in college this semester... So what do you think?" Deb asked softly, looking at Nathan, then at William. "Oh wow, Mom... We would love to have you stay but..." Nathan's brain scrambled for an excuse, any excuse really. "Lucas and Peyton are going to be stopping by so our house will already be crazy..." He trailed off. Haley squeezed his leg once again under the table. "Oh don't worry, Nathan. I talked to Lucas this morning and he said that they would rather stay in their home in Tree Hill, rather than at our house, because that would be crazy." She said, smiling at Deb. "We'd love to have you all stay there. I'm sure that Jamie and Lydia would too." Haley said, humming softly. Nathan let out a small sigh, nodding. Nicole scoffed, shaking her head. "You've got to be kidding me. Why don't we just get a hotel? Why stay with them?" She asked. Nathan looked at her, "Hey, why don't you chill the hell out?" He snapped, before covering his mouth. Haley let out a deep sigh, "Nathan, can I talk to you for a second?" She asked him, standing up and pulling him away with her before he could answer.

Once outside, she stopped walking and looked at him. "Really, Nathan? 'Why don't you shut the hell up?' Really? That's what you had to to say to that? She's seventeen, Nathan. You can't go around saying stuff like that." Haley snapped at him, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Hales. It slipped out. The alcohol was doing the talking. I'm so sorry." He said, rubbing his eyes. Haley shook her head, "What a great first impression you've made, huh? I mean, honey, I love you, but you need to think before you talk." She said softly. "I know this is hard for you, but get over it. Your mom is happy." Haley said, cupping his cheek softly, pulling him down for a quick kiss. "Now go back in there and apologize." She said, walking back inside with him and sitting down. Nathan sighed softly, looking over at Nicole. "Sorry, it slipped out." He grumbled, before looking down at his food. Haley nudged him again, nodding at the thirteen year old across the table. "Sorry for swearing." Nathan mumbled out to Jordan, before sighing heavily.

Dinner continued on just the same, with plenty of awkwardness with everyone except Megan and Haley. "I can't believe you two got married when you were sixteen. I mean, I've read your brother's book, but still. That's so crazy to me." Megan gushed to Haley. "Sixteen?" Jordan asked from across the table with wide eyes. "Sixteen. Juniors in high school." Haley replied, smiling at Nathan. "Still not entirely sure how it happened, but he talked me into it." She laughed, kissing Nathan's cheek. "The book says you were a real jerk, Nathan. Was that true? Is it still true?" Nicole asked him, smirking slightly. Nathan glared at her, "I was. I mean, in some ways I still am. Haley changed me." He replied. A soft "Aw" was heard from Megan. "So tell me about it. All of it." She chuckled. Haley smiled at her, "Well, I've been best friends with his brother for so long. And let's just say... Nathan was very different from Lucas-" Haley began, Nicole cutting her off. "By different, she means he was a total man whore. Slept with anything that has legs." She sneered out. Nathan stood up, "Hey, guess what. I'm not that guy anymore, so you need to shut your mouth right now." He snapped at her, sitting back down and crossing his arms. William sighed softly, "I think that it's time to go." He spoke up, standing up. "I've already paid for the meal. Girls, drive safely back to the hotel." He said. "Nathan, Haley. Let's go." William said, linking arms with Deb and heading out. Haley hugged Megan goodbye, waving at the other two. "Rain check on the story, alright? I'll tell you about it soon." She chuckled, before hurrying out with Nathan. The whole entire car ride home was very silent, not even a single word was spoken. Nathan stepped out of the car, watching as Haley hugged Deb and hurried inside. "Sorry Mom. Jamie told me to keep my temper in check and I kind of went off." He mumbled. Deb sighed softly, hugging Nathan. "I'll talk to you soon, son. Thank you for the effort." She said softly, climbing back into the car. Nathan walked inside slowly, pushing his fingers through his hair, walking up to his and Haley's room. He stripped off his clothes, pulling on a pair of gray sweats, climbing into bed next to his wife. "So, no after party for me?" He asked softly. Haley looked at him, shaking her head. "You did alright, Nathan. You were a little rude. I'm tired anyways. I love you." She said softly, kissing him quickly. "Goodnight, Nathan Scott." She whispered, snuggling into the feeling of his warm arms being wrapped around her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Two days later, Deb and William's family were going be moving in for a little while. Nathan was totally stressed about it, he was trying to find any way to be gone for the day. He had asked Clay if there were any clients he needed to go out and see, or any scouting that needed to be done, but Haley had made sure to tell Clay that he was not allowed to give Nathan an out. Nathan had even tried to convince her to let him go visit Lucas for a couple of days and take Jamie with, but she still gave him a firm no. So, without a choice, today was the day.

Nathan stood in the living room, moving the vacuum over the same spot that he had been for the past five minutes, a scowl on his face. He jumped slightly when Haley came up behind him, poking his back softly. "Nathan." She said, raising one eyebrow. He looked over at her, turning off the vacuum, "Sorry, I guess I'm just trying to put it off. We're about to have five extra people in out house. I mean, we have the room but... I don't want this to happen." He grumbled. Haley laughed quietly, unplugging the vacuum, beginning to wind up cord. "I'm worried about it too. I mean, we saw how everything went last time." She said, shaking her head at him. "Go out this away." She held up the vacuum to him, nodding. Nathan sighed softly, looking around the quiet house. "Where are the kids?" He questioned her, raising his eyebrows. "Oh, they're at Brooke's again. I wanted to make sure everything was going to be alright before they met everyone." Haley smiled at him. Nathan nodded, putting the vacuum in the closet. "So, Haley. I was talking to Clay... And he said that there might be some good people to scout in West Virginia..." He knew that it was no use to even try and lie to her, since Clay had explained that she threatened him if he let Nathan go anywhere, but he thought he'd try anyways. Haley raised her eyebrows, "Oh he said that, did he?" She said, seeing right through his lie. "Yep. Tonight. Think you can manage things around here without me?" Nathan said quietly, brushing his fingers through his hair. "I think I'll be fine. Except for tonight I was thinking about taking a bath, having a nice glass of wine to release some of the stress from this week. Such a shame that you won't be here to join me." Haley said softly, winking at him. "Oh, that's just not fair." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head at her. "Maybe don't try and lie to me, and I'll play fair." She replied, patting his cheek. He nodded, "Sounds fair enough." He mumbled, sighing softly, heading up the stairs.

About an hour later, the doorbell rang, signifying that everyone was here. "Nathan!" Haley called up the stairs, heading towards the door. She pulled it open, smiling at Deb. "Hello Deb! It's always nice to see you." She said, hugging her tightly. Deb smiled, "Thank you so much for this, Haley. It really helps. I hope it's not too much trouble with Nathan." She said quietly. Haley shook her head, "He's a little nervous, but he'll be fine. Don't worry." She reassured her, waving at William as he walked up to the door. "Deb, you know where your old room is, so just head on up there. I will show the girls to their room." Haley said, waving towards the stairs, watching as the two disappeared up them.

Haley turned around to look at the three girls who were walking towards the house, letting out a deep breath. "Hey guys! Welcome to our house. Make yourselves at home. We have several guest bedrooms upstairs, as well as one downstairs. So if you want to all stay upstairs, that's fine. But just a reminder, I have a four year old, and while it doesn't happen often, she does get scared sometimes in the middle of the night and start crying. So if that is going to bug you, I recommend the downstairs guest room." She said, smiling at them. "I'll take the downstairs one." Nicole said almost immediately, a small scowl on her face. Haley nodded, "Okay. Just head down that hall, it's the first door on your left." She smiled at her. "Now if you two would follow me upstairs, I will show you around." Haley hummed, leading Megan and Jordan up the stairs. Jordan picked a room that was across from Deb and William's, while Megan picked one a little bit down the hall. "Alright, I'm going to let you guys get settled. You're welcome to eat anything you find, and there's a pool out back." Haley said, nodding at them, before excusing herself into her and Nathan's room.

Nathan looked up when he saw Haley walk in, sending her a small smile. "Nathan, come on. You can't hide in here forever. Deb and William are in Deb's old room, Nicole is downstairs, Jordan is in the room closest to Deb and William, and Megan is closer to the end of the hall. You have to go out and interact so I can decide if it's safe to bring the kids home." She teased him, resting her hands on his shoulders. Nathan raised his eyebrows, "Wait, Deb and William are sharing a room? Haley, gross." He grumbled, looking down. Haley chuckled quietly, "Oh stop it Nathan. Just try to relax and not find everything wrong with this situation. And think about how we'll be in Hawaii in two weeks, enjoying the sun. We wouldn't be there without this wedding." Haley pointed out, kissing him quickly. "Let's just go downstairs. You can help me make dinner." She smiled, rubbing his arm. Nathan nodded slowly, standing up and rubbing his hands down his face. This was going to be a long day.

As the day went on, things had stayed just as uncomfortable. Deb and William had made their way out of the bedrooms, but Megan, Nicole, and Jordan had all stayed in their rooms. Nathan looked around the room, avoiding his mother's gaze, his eyes finally landing on Haley, who was sitting one the opposite side of the counter as William, leaning against it, having a small conversation with Nathan's soon to be step father. Nathan stood up from his spot on the stood he was seated on, walking up behind Haley, placing his hands on either side of her. He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the back of her head. "How about we go out to dinner, and bring them take out? Or we could pick up a pizza." He whispered. Haley looked at him, kinking her eyebrow up. "You know what, fine. Go pick up a pizza. But I'm staying here." She said, laughing quietly as she felt him remove himself from behind her. "Pick up Jamie and Lydia too. I know Deb is dying to see them." Haley suggested, watching as Nathan was already opening the garage door. "Okay! See you soon babe. Bye Mom, William." He nodded, hurrying out of the house and into the garage.

About forty minutes later, Nathan walked back into the house, carrying four pizzas, Jamie and Lydia following behind him. Deb jumped up when she saw them, rushing over and hugging them both tightly. He was glad that she was finally over the whole "Grandma" thing, and now let the kids call her that because it might be a little weird in front of William and his family. Nathan smiled slightly at the scene in front of him, setting the pizzas on the counter. He made eye contact with his mother, and sighed softly, before looking around to find Haley, who was no where in sight. It was just William, Deb, and Nicole in the room.

"So here's an idea..." He began, glancing back over at Deb. "While I was out, I started thinking that maybe we can show you guys around Tree Hill. I know you're considering moving here, it might be nice to know the town..." He suggested, shrugging his shoulders. "I think that's a wonderful idea, Nathan. Wouldn't you agree, William?" Deb said, looking over at her soon to be husband. "Yeah, Thank you Nathan. I've heard a lot of interesting things about this town. Some from your mother, and some from other people. I'm sure we're picking the right tour guide, since a lot of the interesting things have happened to you and your friends." He chuckled. Nathan laughed quietly, "Yeah, you could say this town is blessed and cursed." He shrugged slightly, shaking his head and laughing.

William looked over at Nicole, "What do you think, Nicole? Want to get a tour?" He asked. Nicole looked over at Nathan, then at her father. "Oh yeah dad, getting a tour of this old craptown sounds great." She said in a sarcastic, bitter voice. Nathan sighed softly, looking over at Jamie and deciding to hold his tongue from saying anything too harsh. "Really? I'm glad you agree." He smirked at her. "Come get some pizza." He said to everyone that was in the room. "I didn't know what kind you guys liked, so I covered the basics. Pepperoni, Cheese, Sausage, and meat lovers." Nathan nodded, walking into the pantry and pulling out some paper plates, grabbing Lydia a piece. He picked her up, setting her in a chair and setting the piece in front of here. "Okay, I'm going to go find Haley. You can drink whatever is in the fridge. Anything alcoholic is in the fridge in the garage now, Mom." He said, nodding before hurrying upstairs.

"Haley?" Nathan called out, rubbing his hand over his head. "In here!" She called out, poking her head out of Megan's room. He let out a deep breath, walking towards the door. Nathan leaned against the door frame, looking at Megan, Haley, and Jordan. "What are you guys doing in here?" He kinked an eyebrow, his eyes falling on his wife. Haley chuckled, "Just telling them stories. Nothing too bad." She smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "I can't believe you jumped off a bridge on your wedding day! And you left her all alone up there!" Jordan said to him with wide eyes. "Hey, I jumped in after a limo that was driven in that had my uncle and a friend in it." Nathan protested, shaking his head. Haley laughed quietly, "It really was not funny at all at the time. But after a few years, we can laugh about it." She said, smiling at him. "You guys have led crazy lives, you know? It's weird because I've listened to your songs, and watched your games, but I never thought any of this would happen." Megan said, shrugging her shoulders. "Trust me, life didn't slow down after our wedding. The crazy never stops." Haley said, standing up. "Nathan bought some pizza, why don't you guys head downstairs." She smiled at them. Megan and Jordan nodded, heading out of the room.

Haley followed after Nathan into their room, grabbing his hand and turning him towards her, pressing a small kiss to his lips. "I love you, Nathan Scott. You know that?" She said, smiling at him. "I love you too, Hales." Nathan grinned at her, nodding his head. "I told them we would give them a tour around Tree Hill sometime. Maybe we can add the bridge that the limo drove off of to our list." He said, shaking his head. Haley raised her eyebrows. "You told them that? I didn't even have to force you to do it? That's great, Nathan! Baby steps." She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I know this is kind of scary and weird for you. And I admit you haven't acted the best around them, but this is a good **i** dea." Haley said, kissing him again. Nathan held her to him for a good thirty seconds, before pulling alway from her. "As much as I would love to stay up here with you, we better get back downstairs. Don't want Nicole to bite Jamie's head off for asking her to pass the salt." He laughed, kissing her once more, before grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the room.

Nathan's eyes immediately fell to Jamie when they made it downstairs, he appeared fine. He was actually sitting by Nicole, chatting away with her. His gaze shifted to Lydia, who was now done with her pizza, sitting in Deb's lap while she ate hers. He let out a breath of relief because all was well in the Scott home. Haley pulled him over to the counter, dishing him up a few slices of pizza, handing it over to him. "Thank you." He said softly, kissing her forehead. Haley smiled at him, before grabbing his arm as he turned around. "Nathan." She said, laughing quietly. Nathan looked at her, raising his eyebrows. Jamie laughed loudly, looking at the two in front of him. "Dad, you have a little lipstick on!" He laughed out, smirking at his father. Nathan glared at Haley, shaking his head and groaning. Haley laughed, reaching up and wiping it off his lips. "Sorry." She hummed, shaking her head. "No you're not." He mumbled, sitting down at the counter on Jamie's other side. "Hey, Jamie. Don't be laughing at me, because it's going to happen to you soon. All the time." He grumbled, ruffling his son's hair. "That's why you shouldn't kiss girls yet, Jamie." Haley said, giving Nathan a pointed look. "How old are you? Nearly fourteen? I was about your age when I first kissed a girl, maybe a little younger..." He trailed off, looking up at Haley, who cleared her throat. "And it was your mom! Marriage for life." He said, holding up his left hand and tapping the gold band on his finger. Haley rolled her eyes, "Real nice save there, honey." She said, shaking her head. Nicole scoffed, "I wouldn't believe that, Jamie." She mumbled. Nathan's head turned to her, then to Haley, then back to Nicole. "You'd be right not to believe me, Jamie. I didn't kiss your mom until we were sixteen. That was Uncle Lucas' job, before she met me of course. Then she met me and was like "Oh no, I've been spending time with the wrong brother." And that's how the story goes. Married after the first date." Nathan said, laughing in order to cover up his annoyance at Nicole. Haley shook her head, "I didn't kiss Lucas, and that's not even close to how the story goes, but you've heard it a thousand times, Jamie. So don't worry about it." She laughed. Jamie shook his head at his parents, rolling his eyes. "Besides, we all know Jamie has already kissed-" Nathan shut his mouth when he saw the panicked look appear on his son's face. "-Chester. He's already kissed Chester the rabbit." He finished quickly. Haley looked at Jamie, "What?" She asked, with a confused look on her face. "Nothing, Hales. So Jamie, how was Brooke's house?" Nathan asked, changing the subject quickly. "It was good. Davis and Jude are hilarious. I don't know how Brooke and Julian can do it, though. They are wild." He laughed. Nathan chuckled, the times they had babysat the two, he had thought the same thing. "Because she's Brooke Davis. Amazing in all aspects of life." He said, smiling. "Very true." Haley agreed, looking over at Lydia. "Oh no, she's asleep already? It's only six o'clock!" Haley sighed, "Davis and Jude always make her tired. She tries to keep up with them, and most of the time she can, but those boys always have energy." She said, "I can take her, if you'd like?" Haley asked Deb, smiling. Deb shook her head, "I'll take her." She said softly, heading towards the stairs.

"So William..." Nathan began, his gaze shifting over to the man. "Got a favorite basketball team?" He asked. "Not really, no. I'm more of a football and baseball kind of guy." William replied, clearing his throat. "Oh, nice." Nathan replied, glancing over at Haley. "I'm sort of a die hard basketball guy, if you didn't already know that about me." He laughed. William chuckled quietly, "I never would of guessed." He said, shaking his head. "Deb told me great things about your home, but wow. It's beautiful." William complimented, smiling over at Haley. "Yeah, well. We've been in it for quite a while. Nearly ten years, and we still like it a lot. We've been very lucky." Haley said, looking over at Nathan. Nathan smiled at her, winking subtly. She rolled her eyes, a pink tint appearing on her cheeks.

Jordan looked over at her father, "He jumped off a bridge on their wedding day." She pointed out, pointing over at Nathan. "Oh, that's not a tradition, I hope!" William laughed, looking over at Nathan. Nathan shook his head, laughing quietly. "Just if a crazy woman tries to drive a limo off a bridge, but don't worry. If that happens, I'll do the honors of jumping off it." He laughed. Haley shook her head, "Yeah, no you won't." She said, poking Nathan's arm. "Sorry, William. My girl has spoken. Looks like it's up to you." Nathan laughed. "Did you know that they've been married for nearly fifteen years, dad? They got married when they were sixteen." Megan said, looking over at the two. "Got any tips?" William laughed. "Happy wife, happy life." Nathan replied, reaching across the counter and grabbing Haley's hand. Haley rolled her eyes, smiling at him. "He's not wrong." She said softly, nodding at William. "Don't leave on tour, and your marriage should be fine." Nicole added in, shaking her head. Nathan sighed heavily, opening his mouth to reply to her, but Haley dug her fingernails into his skin to quiet him. "Don't leave on tour? Nathan, you can sing?" William asked, raising his eyebrows. "Deb has told me a little bit about you two, but not much in depth. I didn't know that you can sing." He said, looking at the pair. "Oh no, my dad can't sing. Not even a little bit!" Jamie laughed, smirking at Nathan. "It's Haley that can sing. It's kind of a long story." He said, shrugging slightly. "One that I'm not sure how she knows." He grumbled, looking over at Nicole. "Your brother's book." Nicole replied, shrugging. "Hm, maybe I will have to check out this book." William said, nodding his head. "It's pretty good. I mean, we're in it, so..." Nathan laughed, pointing at himself, then at Haley.

The rest of the day went by fairly quickly, things a little bit more relaxed than they were at dinner two days previous. Jamie had gone to bed at about 10:30, and everyone had gone at their own time after that. It was about midnight when Nathan and Haley had decided to go to bed. Haley had gone ahead upstairs, while Nathan said he would turn off all of the lights. When Nathan was done, he headed up the stairs quickly, just wanting the day to be over, even though he wasn't expecting tomorrow to be any better, because they had all agreed that tomorrow would be a good day to give everyone a tour of Tree Hill. He let out a deep breath, walking into his and Haley's room. Nathan's eyes fell on Haley, a small smile appearing on his face. She was sitting up, her glasses perched up on her nose, reading a book. "I guess you'll never stop being tutor-girl, hm?" He laughed, sitting down on the end of the bed. "I'll stop being tutor-girl, when you stop needing help." Haley teased him, poking him with her foot. Nathan shook his head, "I'm not sure if that will ever happen." He laughed, looking down at the ground. "Oh, trust me honey, I know it won't." She said, winking at him. Nathan laughed quietly, standing up. He changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt, before walking into the bathroom and brushing his teeth. A few minutes later, he walked back into their room, climbing into bed next to Haley, watching her as she read. "You're beautiful, you know that?" Nathan said softly, grabbing one of her hands and kissing it softly. "Goodnight, Hales." He mumbled, wrapping his arms around her the best he could from his laying down position, and her sitting up position. "Don't stay up too late." Nathan chuckled, closing his eyes and letting sleep consume him.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own any characters but the ones I made up.**

 **Chapter 4**

Haley woke up at about seven in the morning, looking over at her husband laying next to her, soft snores escaping his lips. It had been a little bit of a rough night for him, which meant it ended up being a rough night for her. He was moving around all night, waking up about once an hour, so it was nice to see him sleeping so peacefully. Haley rested her hand on his cheek, brushing her thumb over his cheek bones, smiling at him. She pressed a small kiss to his cheek, before sliding out of his warm embrace, glancing around the room. She shut her eyes, listening to see if anyone was awake yet. The house seemed fairly quiet, but that would probably change once Lydia woke up. Haley was broken out of her daze when she heard Nathan mumble a muffled "Come back to bed." She laughed quietly, sitting down on the side of the bed closest to him, his back facing her. She slowly rubbed her hand up and down his strong back, dipping her fingers under his shirt collar occasionally. "I would love to, and I would love to let you sleep longer, but you need to get up and get ready for the day." Haley hummed in her husband's ear, placing a quick kiss to the skin under his earlobe. "Watch yourself, Haley James. Don't start something you can't finish." Nathan grumbled, looking over his shoulder at her. Haley laughed quietly, "Get up soon, Nathan. " She requested, running her fingers through his dark hair. Nathan nodded, rolling onto his back so he was looking up at her. "I really wish I wouldn't of offered this." He said, sighing. "I really did invite Lucas to come to town. He's still considering it because they'll be going to the wedding so we'll see them then, but I think Peyton's going to get him to cave. I may have buttered her up a little bit too." He shrugged, grabbing Haley's hand and tugging her down closer to him. "But if they come, I'll probably be way to busy to spend time at home." Nathan said, shrugging. "It's been awhile since I've gone out and shot some hoops with my big brother, you know? The one that you love so dearly and want me to have a good relationship with." He said, kissing her quickly. Haley rolled her eyes, looking down at him. "Yeah, yeah. I know him." She smiled, grabbing a handful of his t-shirt, pulling his lips to hers once again. "Shower with me, save water." Nathan mumbled after a minute. Haley laughed quietly, lifting herself up a bit and looking down at him. "Your mother is in the house, Nathan." She said, raising her eyebrows. "Come on. My hair will dry faster than yours. I'll get out before you, and no one will even know." Nathan said, nudging her slightly. Haley looked at him, searching his eyes for a second, before shrugging her shoulders. "Fine." She said, disappearing from the bedroom, into the bathroom. Nathan's eyebrows raised that he actually agreed, sitting up. He sat there for a brief second, until Haley's shirt hit him in the face, then he was up and into the bathroom as quick as he possibly could be.

After their brief shower escapade, Nathan headed down the stairs, looking around the quiet house, frowning slightly. If had known that no one was up, he would of fought harder to stay in bed, or fought harder to stay in the shower longer. He shook his head, getting some pancake mix out of the pantry, followed by him grabbing a skillet and the remaining things he needed to make breakfast for the group that was here. He looked up when he saw Nicole standing there out of the corner of his eyes. "Oh, hey." He mumbled, clearing his throat a bit. "Just making some pancakes. If you don't want them, you're welcome to whatever is in the fridge." Nathan said, beginning to make the batter of the pancakes. Nicole didn't say anything to him, she just walked to the freezer, pulling out some frozen waffles, and putting them in the toast. Nathan rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to the pancakes in front of him. He looked up and grinned when Haley walked into the room. "Breakfast and a show? What a good husband you are. Round two right here, right now? I'll let you pour the pancake batter on me." She hummed to him, laughing quietly. Nathan choked slightly, nodding his head to the girl behind him, before laughing loudly. Haley's cheeks turned bright red, her eyes squeezing shut for a moment, before she sat down at the bar. "Oh sorry, Nicole. I, um... Didn't see you there." She laughed nervously. Nicole gave her an annoyed look, grumbling things under her breath that neither of them could make out. Nathan continued to laugh, winking at Haley. Haley glared at him, "Nathan, stop it." She grumbled. "You weren't saying that earlier." He teased quietly, shaking his head before turning his attention back to the pancakes, chuckling quietly. He looked up after a second, "Pancake batter? Really?" He questioned, hearing Nicole chuckle quietly behind him. He smirked, looking over at Haley again. Haley sighed, "Nathan, if you must know, I was just kidding. It was just my way of telling you that I was thankful for you making breakfast." She said, shaking her head. "I don't even think pancake batter would taste good. Maybe syrup." He laughed, smiling brightly at her. "Okay, I'm done with this conversation. Nicole, I'm sorry." Haley said with bright red cheeks. Nicole looked over at her, shrugging her shoulders. "Whatever." She mumbled, turning her attention back to the toaster.

Megan headed downstairs, feeling the slightly awkward tension in the room. "Alright, what did I miss?" She laughed, looking at the three people in the room. "Oh, nothing." Nathan laughed, looking over at his wife, who shook her head. Nicole looked at Megan, "Haley came downstairs begging for sex, that's what happened, and she didn't know I was in the room." She said, turning her gaze to Nathan and Haley. Haley choked, while Nathan laughed loudly. "It happens more often then you'd expect." He said, smirking. Haley shook her head, "That's not what happened." She said, sighing heavily. "Pretty much what I heard." Nicole mumbled turning back to her waffles. Megan raised her eyebrows, looking over at Haley, then at Nathan. "I would tell you exactly what happened, but Haley is glaring at me in a certain way, and I think if I say another word, I won't live to the end of the day." He chuckled, focusing his attention back on the pancakes. Megan frowned, "I always miss the fun." She grumbled. Nicole looked over at her, "It wasn't fun." She mumbled, rolling her eyes. "It would of been fun if she wasn't in the room." Nathan said, smirking over at Haley. "Okay, Nathan. That's enough." She said, shaking her head. "You go get the kids up and I will finish making the pancakes." Haley said, walking around the counter. "No, you go. You won't put chocolate chips in some of them like the kids like." Nathan protested, nodding at her. Haley looked at him for a second, before sighing. "Fine. Do. Not. Say. Anything." She said, elbowing him in the side.

A few minutes later, everyone else headed down the stairs. "Daddy!" Lydia said, running over to Nathan. Nathan picked her up, hugging her close. "Mommy said that you were making pancakes." She said, leaning closer to him. "Did you put..." Lydia glanced over at Haley. "Chocolate chips in them?" She asked quietly. Nathan nodded, laughing quietly. "You bet. Now eat up." He said, walking around the counter and setting her down at the bar, pushing a plate towards her. "Everyone, go ahead and eat. You're welcome to anything." He said, brushing his fingers through his hair, sitting down between Lydia and Jamie. "Where's Nicole?" William asked, looking around. "Yeah, she ate fast then went back into her room." Nathan said, shrugging. "She did try a pancake and tell him they were gross though." Megan added, looking over at Nathan. "They aren't gross, Dad. Don't worry." Jamie said, shoving some food into his mouth. Nathan smiled at him, ruffling his hair. "Thanks, son. So, I was thinking that once everyone is done eating, and ready and everything... We can just go and we'll show you around." He said, shifting slightly in his seat. "That sounds great, honey." Deb said, smiling at him. "Maybe you can show them the schools too?" She suggested. Jamie groaned, "Not the school. It's the weekend." He said, shaking his head. "Oh come on, Jamie. Would you rather have us show up in the middle of your school day? I bet I can get us into the high school, not so sure about the middle school." Nathan said, looking over at Haley. Haley nodded, smiling encouragingly at him. "That would be great, Nathan. Thank you." Deb said, smiling at him.

About an hour later, everyone was all ready. "Okay, so we can fit eight in our, so we thought maybe Haley could take her car, and she can fit one other person. So seven of us in my car, and two in Haley's." Nathan said, looking over at Haley. "Oh hell yes, I want to ride in Haley's car!" Megan said, shrugging her shoulders. Haley laughed, "Okay, great. Where to first, Nathan?" She asked. "I want to save the river court for last so Jamie and I can just stay there, and my mom can take my car home. So why don't we start at Tric?" He suggested, looking over at her. "Sounds great. I guess we'll see you soon." Haley hummed, rubbing his shoulder quickly, before walking out to her car with Megan. Nathan turned to the rest of the people, "Alright crew. It's going to be a right fit, but we'll make it work." He said, heading out to his car. "I figured we would put Jamie and Lydia in the back. My mom, William, and Jordan in the middle seat, and Nicole can sit shot gun. If that's alright?" Nathan suggested, rubbing his neck. "Whatever." Nicole mumbled, climbing into the front seat. Nathan got into the driver's side, letting out a deep breath. Once everyone was settled in, he started driving to Tric.

Once arriving at Tric after a fairly silent car ride, Nathan hurried out of the car. He looked over and saw Haley's car in the parking lot, which meant the building was already unlocked. "So this is Tric." Nathan said, grabbing onto Lydia's hand. "It was started by Karen, who is Lucas' mother, along with the help of Peyton, who is now his wife." He said, looking around. "Who is your ex-girlfriend." Nicole pointed out, "At least, according to the book." She mumbled. "Yeah, um. She is." Nathan said, sighing softly. "If you thought Nathan and Haley are bad, you should of seen this couple. They had no boundaries. They didn't care who saw them doing what." Deb laughed quietly as they walked into Tric. "Who's she talking about?" Haley asked, looking up. "Oh, no one." Nathan said, rubbing his head. "Aunt Peyton and Daddy." Lydia said, smiling up at her parents. "Nice." Haley laughed, sounding slightly uncomfortable. "Okay, all I said was that Peyton helped set this place up, and it got brought to here." Nathan grumbled, looking around. "Anyways, this is Tric. It's closed today, so no drinks. Haley just has a key because her studio is connected." He said, looking around. "There's not much to it. We spent a lot of time here in high school. You wouldn't believe some of the bands Peyton got to play here." Haley added, smiling at the crowd of people. "Both of our wedding receptions were here." She said, smiling over at Nathan, who smiled in return. "I still don't understand why you didn't wait until after high school to get married." Nicole said, shaking her head. "Because when you're in love, two years feels like a long time." Haley said, shrugging her shoulders. "Plus, we might not of gotten married if we waited. There were a lot of complicated things that happened in our relationship." She added. Nathan sighed softly, "Anyways, let's go show you Haley's studio. She records music and produces music here. One day, I hope she will finally let me record that hip hop album I've been writing, but it's not likely to happen any time soon." He laughed, smiling brightly. "Lydia can help, isn't that right?" He asked her, winking at her as she nodded. "Yeah, I doubt you'd be good at that." Nicole muttered. Nathan rolled his eyes, "You'd be surprised. I'm a good dancer too." He said in a sarcastic tone. Nicole shook her head, mumbling something under her breath. Nathan showed them quickly around the studio, pointing out things that he had no idea about, while Haley just laughed along side him. "This company was started by Peyton, and when they moved, I sort of just took over." She said, smiling. "Let's take them to Karen's Cafe next." Haley suggested, looking over at him. "I want to ride with Haley this time!" Jordan yelled out as they exited the building, running towards Haley's car. "What's is like to be the cool kid for once, Hales?" Nathan teased. Haley rolled her eyes, bumping her hip into his. "Feels nice." She hummed, kissing his cheek. "See you soon." She smiled, climbing into her car. Nathan headed over to his car, helping Lydia in before climbing in himself.

When they arrived at Karen's Cafe, everyone climbed out of the car and headed in. "This is the cafe that Haley owns with our friend Brooke. It was owned by Karen for a long time, until she got moved away. Then it was the Clothes over Bros store in Tree Hill for another few years, until it became this." He said, looking around, sitting down at one of the tables. He looked up when he heard the door open, seeing Brooke walk in with Jude. "Oh!" She exclaimed, "Um, sorry guys. I didn't know that you would be here." She said, looking at Haley with raised eyebrows. "You're Brooke Davis." Megan said, her eyes wide. "I love you! And your clothes. I mean the clothes you design... I mean I love the outfit you have one too but.." She babbled. Brooke sent her a sweet smile, "Thank you. You must be... The new family?" She asked, looking over at Nathan, who nodded. "Oh, well it's nice to meet you. Deb, it's good to see you. You look great." Brooke grinned, hurrying over to her and examining the engagement ring on her finger. She looked at William, nodding. "Good choice." She praised him, before looking over at Jude, who had ran straight to Lydia. "Look at those two. A perfect match. This is what it would look like if Haley and Julian dated." Brooke laughed, pointing at the two. Haley laughed, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. Nathan glared at Brooke, wrapping his arm around Haley. "No, and no. I already made it perfectly clear to Lydia when she was a few months old that she wasn't allowed to date until she was 30. And Haley looks better with me than she would with Julian." He muttered, shaking his head. "Well we all know for sure what we would look like together, Nate." Brooke smirked. Nathan let out a deep breath, rolling his eyes. "We better get going." He grumbled, looking over at Brooke. Brooke smiled sweetly at him, "I'm just playing, buddy. I'm taking Lydia with me." She said, "I may drop her off tonight but I may just steal her, we'll see." She chuckled. Nathan and Haley both nodded, before Megan rushed in, giving Brooke a hug. "Bye Brooke Davis." She said quickly. "Bye! I'm sure I'll see you around, yeah?" Brooke replied, smiling at her. Megan nodded quickly, before Jordan pulled her outside.

The next place they went to was the high school. Nathan climbed out of the car, running his fingers through his hair, walking over to the doors on the side of the building. "Okay, so when Lucas was coaching The Ravens, I stole a key to the school from him. Then last year I was talking to the basketball team, and I went to give it back, and the new principal let me keep it. So we aren't breaking in." He said, unlocking it quickly, heading inside the school. "There are a lot of memories in this place. Some good, some bad, some terrible." He mumbled, looking around. Haley smiled at him, "We won't go into much detail, but yeah. Some crazy stuff has happened in this school." She said softly, looking around. The whole group started walking, Nathan stopping them a spot next to some random lockers. "This right here, was the spot I was standing in with my friend Tim, where I came with a plan to date Haley to mess with Lucas. Best decision of my whole life." He laughed, winking at Haley. "Pancake batter and all." He added on the end, glancing over at Nicole who rolled her eyes, while everyone else had a confused look on their face. Haley's cheeks turned red, pushing him softly. "No, really though. It's crazy. My life changed at that moment and I didn't even know it." Nathan laughed, looking over at Jamie, smiling. "Let's keep going, yeah?" He said, letting Haley lead them to the tutor center. "This is where he told me he needed tutoring for the first time, and I was very reluctant. Good thing he was persistent. A lot of other stuff has happened in here, and I really don't want to get into it right now." She said softly, looking over at Deb, who nodded. They toured the rest of the school, getting ready to leave before Nicole stopped them. "What's down that hall?" She asked, pointing to a dark hallway that they hadn't gone down yet. Nathan looked at her, "We won't get into that right now." He said briefly, before heading out the doors. Haley shook her head, looking at Deb. "After all that has happened, it's still a little hard to go in that hall. I think it really messes with Nathan." She said softly. "Because he's forgiven him for it, but going down there screws him up a little." Haley whispered. Deb nodded, watching Nathan who was sitting outside with Jamie and Jordan. The rest of the group headed outside, Haley stopping to hug Nathan tightly. "I love you, Nathan." She whispered, smiling at him. "Quit the love fest." Nicole grumbled as she brushed past them, bumping into Haley a little bit. Nathan rolled his eyes, clenching his jaw. Haley shook her head, kissing his tense jaw briefly. "Alright. Let's go leave Nathan and Jamie at the Rivercourt." She suggested, heading towards her car with Megan. Nathan climbed into his car, sighing softly. He glanced at Nicole as she climbed in. "So you've slept with Brooke Davis too?" She said quietly. "The question is, have you ever been faithful to Haley? I mean I saw stuff on the news a couple years back about you having another kid. I was pretty young then, but it was probably true, wasn't it?" She smirked at him, shaking her head. Nathan rolled his eyes, sucking in a deep breath to make himself calm, ignoring her.

They drove to the Rivercourt, seeing Skillz and someone else standing out there. "Who is that?" He asked, climbing out of his car. He grinned when the person turned around and it was Lucas. "Luke, man! What are you doing here?" He asked quickly, walking over to his brother and hugging him quickly. "Oh come on, I can't come visit my favorite little brother? We stopped by the house earlier, but you guys weren't home. Wanted to surprise you." He laughed. Haley got out of the car quickly, running over to Lucas, hugging him quickly. He picked her up, spinning her around. "Hey Hales. It's great to see you." Lucas said, giving her a tight squeeze before letting her go. Jamie ran over, "Uncle Lucas!" He said, smiling brightly at him, hugging him tightly. "Geez man, I saw you a few months ago but you've changed a lot." He said, messing up Jamie's hair. Lucas looked up at all of the people he didn't know, glancing at Haley. "So you guys must be... William's kids?" He questioned, smiling at Deb and waving. "Hello Deb, it's good to see you." He smiled at her, walking over to the family, who each introduced themselves. "It's nice to meet you all." Lucas smiled. "I love your books." Nicole said quickly and rather loudly. "All of them. I've read them all a lot." She said. Nathan and Haley exchanged a look, shrugging slightly. Lucas smiled at her, "Thank you." He said softly, nodding at her. "It was cool to meet you all." He said, looking over at Skillz, who had kind of zoned himself into basketball. "Ah, right. Deb's ex." He chuckled quietly, shaking his head at the confused look William's kids gave Deb. "Okay, Haley. I'm going to stay here. Mom, here's my keys. I can just catch a ride with Lucas." Nathan said, looking at Jamie. "You want to stay, Jame?" He asked. "I really wish I could, Dad. But I made plans with Chuck and Madison yesterday before I knew we were doing this." Jamie groaned, sighing softly. "It's alright, man. Maybe tomorrow." Lucas said, hugging Jamie again. "Bye everyone." He smiled at them, hugging Haley again before waving. Nathan pulled Haley into a tight hug. "Don't be home too late, Nathan." She said, smiling up at him. Nathan nodded, leaning down and kissing her quickly. "Bye baby. I love you." He hummed, glancing at everyone else. "Bye guys. See you in awhile." He waved at them, before hurrying over to Skillz and Lucas. "Be careful with him guys! I need him around." Haley called out, before climbing into her car.

After a few hours of playing, Skillz had left at about six o'clock. It was now nearing nine, and Lucas and Nathan had just finished playing their last game before calling it quits, Lucas winning. "Man, I beat your ass." Lucas laughed, elbowing him. "Yeah, whatever." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head. "Your kids are getting big, man. Jamie's getting a little taller, which is good." Lucas smiled, nodding. "Yeah, I know. It's crazy. He's only three years away from being the age I was when I married Haley. Did you know that he's already had his first kiss? Haley doesn't know, but I almost told her the other day. Man she would of freaked." Nathan laughed, running his fingers through his hair. "Who was it?" Lucas asked, raising his eyebrows. "That Madison girl he's always hanging out with, always texting, always talking about. He's been crushed out on her for years." Nathan laughed quietly. "He's a good kid. I hope he stays that way, and doesn't become a dick like I was." He said, sighing. "Yeah, you really were. But I'm glad you're not anymore." Lucas said, pushing Nathan softly. "How's Sawyer doing?" Nathan asked, sitting down on the lunch table. "She's doing good. Looking more like Peyton every day. She acts like her too." Lucas said, smiling. "We're thinking about having another one. Just a little scared the same thing is going to happen again though." He said softly. Nathan looked over at him, "Lydia is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I love both of them so much. So I think you should talk to a doctor, and go from there. If you need to adopt, then adopt." Nathan said softly, smiling. "When did you get so wise, little brother?" Lucas asked, laughing. "Hey, I'm the father of a teenager now. I have to be wise." Nathan laughed, twisting his wedding ring around his finger. "Very true. Let's go get some drinks, shall we? I promise I'll have you home by 10:30." Lucas suggested, heading to his car. Nathan hurried over, climbing into the passenger side. "So Nate, what do you think of your mom getting married?" Lucas asked him, beginning to drive to Tric. "I don't know, Luke. It's weird." Nathan replied, sighing. "I sort of felt the same when my mom married Andy. I mean, he wasn't bringing any kids with him or anything. But it was weird. Then I thought, if I'm happy, why can't she be happy? I know Keith will always have a special place in her heart. But if Andy loves her, and accepts the fact that she will always love Keith, and still love him, why can't she marry him?" Lucas said, shrugging his shoulders. "That's true, Luke. But his daughters are a little much for me. They all seem a little crazy." Nathan laughed. Lucas chuckled, "Yeah. But you can deal with that. If your mom loves him, and she can deal with the crazy, then let her." Lucas said, pulling into the Tric parking lot. "First round is on you, little bro. Because I beat you." He said, climbing out and heading into Tric.

As Lucas had promised, he dropped Nathan off at home a little bit before 10:30. Nathan headed into the dark home, looking around. He walked up the stairs slowly, and into his and Haley's room. "When I said don't be too late, this is kind of what a meant. It may not seem that late to you, but when you leave me alone to entertain five people by myself, this is late." Haley said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Hales. We were just catching up." Nathan shrugged, sitting down on the bed and sighing softly. Haley scooted up next to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "How long did you play basketball?" She asked. "Until about nine." He replied, pushing his fingers through his hair. "Nathan, we left you there at a little after three! You have to be careful, honey." She said softly, rubbing her hand up and down his back. "I was careful. It's been awhile since I've gone out a played." Nathan said, leaning forward a bit as Haley continued to rub his back, resting his elbows on his knees. "What's wrong?" Haley asked him quietly. "Nothing, Nicole just said something to me that keeps replaying in my mind." He mumbled. "What was it?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. "She talked about how I slept with Brooke, and assumed that it was when we were together and that I cheated on you. She also talked to me about Renee and accused me of being the father. Guess she didn't watch Dan's show." Nathan grumbled. Haley sighed softly. "I'm not sure why she's so rude, but I'm sure there's a reason. Because if there wasn't, William probably would of yelled at her by now." She whispered, leaning forward and resting her head on Nathan's back. "Okay. Go shower. You smell like sweat and beer." Haley said, sitting up. "You could always join me again." Nathan suggested, raising his eyebrows. "Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't you? But not tonight. I've been ready to go to sleep for over an hour, I just wanted to make sure you got home." Haley said, kissing him quickly. "Love you." She hummed out, laying down. Nathan nodded at her, "I love you too baby. Goodnight." He hummed, walking into the bathroom. A few minutes later, he came out and climbed into bed, hugging Haley close to him, pressing a kiss to her cheek before falling asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own One Tree Hill, or any of the characters. Just the few I made up.**

 **I'm not totally satisfied with the writing on this chapter, but here it is. It's pretty short too, I'm sorry.**

 **Chapter 5**

Haley woke up at around five in the morning, feeling around the cold, empty bed next to her. She sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking around. "Nathan?" She whisper-yelled out, getting out of bed slowly, pulling on one of her husband's sweatshirts, frowning slightly. She walked out of their room, looking around the whole house. Haley pulled out her phone, not seeing any messages from him. She checked the time, sighing softly, looking towards the stairs. She quickly texted Nathan, asking him where he was, sitting down on the couch, frowning as time passed without him replying.

It was nearing seven, and there was still no reply from Nathan. Haley would need to get Jamie up for school soon. She sucked in a deep breath, reminding herself that it would not be the same as the last time he disappeared on her like this. He wasn't kidnapped, or injured. He was most likely at the River Court, or at least somewhere he had a good excuse to be. Haley sucked in a deep breath, heading up the stairs again. She walked into Jamie's room, shaking him awake. "Come on, James. It's time to get up. You have school." She said softly, slowly brushing her fingers over her son's hair, smiling down at him. Jamie groaned, looking up at her. "How about I don't go today?" He suggested, sitting up. Haley laughed quietly, "How about you do? Come on, it's not that bad. I liked going to school." She said, pulling his covers off of him. "Yeah, well Dad says you were a nerd." He grumbled, finally sitting up. "I say it's better to be a nerd, than failing a lot of his classes. So tell him that next time." Haley said, smiling at her son. "Get ready." She said, ruffling his hair and heading out of the room.

About forty minutes later, she had Jamie and Lydia in the car, no sign of Nathan yet. She dropped Jamie off at the Middle School first, handing him his lunch. "Here you go, buddy. Have a good day at school." Haley smiled at her son, who waved at her and climbed out of the car. She then went to drop Lydia off at the elementary school. After pulling into the parking lot, she got out, helping her young daughter out of the car. Haley walked Lydia to class, leaning down and kissing her cheek. "Have a good day at school, baby. I love you." She smiled brightly, before heading back out to the car.

On her way home, she received a call from Quinn. Haley answered it quickly. "Hey Quinny. What's up?" She asked, sighing softly. "Hey Haley, have you seen Clay? When I woke up he was gone. I just dropped off Logan, but there's still no sign of him." Quinn said, a worried tone in her voice. "I haven't seen him, but Nathan was gone when I woke up too. I haven't heard from him either. That's weird." Haley frowned, pulling into their driveway. "I'm going to try Peyton to see if Lucas is home." She suggested, "I'll call you back." Haley said, hanging up the phone and calling Peyton. "Hey Peyton. Is Lucas home?" She asked immediately once Peyton had picked up. "No, I was hoping he was at your house and just forgot to mention it to me. I stopped by the River court, and Tric this morning and he wasn't there. This is weird..." She trailed off. Haley frowned, "Clay and Nathan are gone too. Why don't you come over?" She suggested. "I miss Sawyer anyways." Peyton agreed quickly, hanging up the phone. Haley texted Quinn, telling her to come over.

Haley walked inside, seeing Deb sitting at the counter, staring at her phone. "Is William gone?" She asked quickly, watching Deb nod. "Okay, Nathan is too. This isn't a coincidence. They must all be together." Haley frowned, trying to figure out what on earth her husband would be doing with his soon to be step father, a man that he had been trying to avoid contact with.

A few minutes later, Peyton, Sawyer and Quinn were there, and everyone in the house was trying to figure out where they all were. Brooke burst into the house, looking at Haley. "Julian is gone!" She yelled. "I've been looking all over for him since I dropped Davis and Jude off. Help!" She said, running over and hugging Peyton. "Okay, this is getting weird." Haley said, sighing softly. She looked down at her phone when it vibrated, Jamie's name appearing on the screen. "Jamie just texted me. He told me to check the news. This can't be good." Haley sighed, turning on the computer. The article that appeared on the screen read: _"Former NBA Star, Nathan Scott, appears to be taking advantage of the time away from his family in Chicago Last Night." Nathan Scott, age 31, was seen out with a bunch of people last night, looking as though he was having the time of his life. We aren't exactly sure what happened from the start of his night, to the end... But we have a pretty good idea! Scott was seen entering a hotel, pulling not one, but TWO women in with him. The Former basketball player is married to singer Haley James Scott, but it appears as though there may be a storm coming their way. One of the women Nathan Scott had with him has been identified as Mia Catalano, a singer that is signed with Haley James Scott's label, who is on tour and had a concert in Chicago last night. We aren't exactly sure what this means for Scott, or for Catalano, but we do know that things are going to be changing for Naley and for Red Bedroom Records. Yikes!"_ Haley frowned as she read the words out loud, shaking her head. "This isn't right. I know Mia, and I know Nathan and this is not right. The girl in that picture is definitely Mia, and the guy is Nathan, but there must be a purpose for this. I can't figure out who the other girl is." She said, sighing softly. "I knew he was a cheater." Nicole grumbled, glancing at Megan, who elbowed her. Peyton rubbed her hand together, looking over at Haley. "Okay, but the real question is; What are they doing in Chicago?"


	6. Chapter 6

I **do not own One Tree Hill or any of it's characters.**

 **Here's another update because I was excited for this.**

 **Chapter 6**

"What are they doing in Chicago?" The question that had been ringing through Haley's mind for the past few minutes. Jamie had even texting her nonstop since he told her to go look at the news, but she had yet to reply to him. She was still trying to figure out what to say to a thirteen year old who had a friend like Chuck. She had been frantically trying to get ahold of Nathan, while the other girls trying to get ahold of the other guys that they knew were there. It was nearly noon, and the time had been passing by so slowly. It was going to be a long day.

Nathan woke up, feeling around the bed for his wife, immediately springing up when he realized that this bed was not his own. He winced at the sharp pain in his head, looking around the messy hotel room. Where the hell was he? There were clothes and bottles scattered everywhere around the room. His eyes caught on a lace bra, which he knew was definitely not his own. He swallowed nervously, looking around the room quickly, letting out a sigh of relief when he noticed that he was alone. Nathan slowly got out of bed, looking down to make sure he was wearing pants. He was definitely wearing the same sweats he was wearing when he went to bed. He picked up his shirt off the ground, pulling it on. "Where's my phone?" He grumbled, looking around the room. Nathan reached down, picking up a phone, once he turned it on, he noticed that it was not his. There was a picture of Quinn with a pillow stuffed under her shirt, her finger to her lips. "Well, this definitely isn't my phone." He grumbled. Nathan unlocked Clay's phone quickly, calling Haley quickly.

Haley looked down quickly as her phone started to ring. "Clay is calling me!" She yelled out, answering it quickly and putting it on speaker. "Hello?" She asked quietly, everyone gathering around the phone. "Haley, where the hell am I?" Nathan grumbled out, rubbing his head. "Oh thank goodness. Nathan." Haley said, letting out a deep breath. "You're in Chicago, or so the news says." She said, shaking her head. "What am I doing here?" He asked her, closing his eyes. "You tell us, Nathan. Is there anyone with you?" Haley asked him, glancing over at Deb. Nathan sighed, "No, I'm alone. But there are bottles and clothes all over the place." He groaned. "And my head hurts so damn bad." Nathan muttered out. "Yeah, well your life is screwed." Nicole added in. "Hey, shut up. You're like fourteen, and no one gives a shit about what you say." Nathan snapped out. Haley sighed softly, "Nathan. Calm down. You have Clay's phone, so he's obviously with you. What do you remember?" She asked, looking over at Quinn. Nathan sucked in a deep breath, closing his eyes to try and remember the night before.

Nathan had gone to bed at about eleven last night, not soon after he had returned home from hanging out with Lucas. At around one, he had woken up, too many thoughts surrounding his mind. So after lying in bed and trying to go to sleep, he had given in to his thoughts and gotten out of bed, quietly so he was careful not to wake Haley. Nathan had gone downstairs, getting some scotch out, pouring himself a glass. After a few minutes, William had come down the stairs, and after a few minutes of sitting in silence, Nathan finally offered him a drink. They just kept drinking, and drinking, and not long after, both of them were drunk. Spur of the moment, Nathan had decided to throw William a Bachelor party, calling a cab and heading off to pick up Lucas, Clay, and a few others.

That was as far as he could remember. Honestly, Nathan couldn't even remember who else they had picked up. He quickly replayed the story to Haley, sighing heavily once he finished. "That's it. That's all I remember. I don't even know what happened." He grumbled, closing his eyes. Haley sighed softly, "Let's FaceTime instead, see if we can figure out where you are. When we stayed in Chicago a few years ago, I researched a bunch of hotels. So call me in a second." She mumbled, hanging up. Nathan did as he was told, face timing her quickly. "Woah." Haley said, raising her eyebrows. "Nathan, you look terrible!" Peyton said, laughing quietly. "I don't look that bad..." He grumbled. "You look pretty terrible, Nate." Brooke informed him, smiling. "That's not important." Nathan said, looking around. "Okay, Hales. I'll show you around the room, and you tell me if you recognize it." He shrugged. "Okay, this won't be helpful because all hotel rooms look the same." Nicole grumbled. Nathan shook his head, "Really not in the mood for your shit, Nicole. So shut up." He snapped. Peyton looked at him, "Nathan, stop with the language. Sawyer is here. Well, she's not in the room, but she could walk in any second. Same with Jordan, so watch her ears. Don't ruin her." Peyton scolded him. Nathan sighed heavily, turning the camera around so it was facing away from him. "Recognize it?" He asked. "Oh hell! Look at that! Is that a bra, Nathan?" Brooke asked loudly. Nathan quickly turned the camera around, "Um... Yeah. But I have no clue what it's doing here, I swear." He said quickly. "Look- I'm going to try and go find Clay. I'll call you back soon-" Nathan was cut off when someone walked into his room. "Oh hell no." He grumbled under his breath.

"Chris Keller has arrived!" The voice announced. Brooke and Peyton burst into laughter. "Well, there's another person you invited." Brooke laughed. "Woah, Nate. Man you look like shit. But that's okay, I can't thank you enough for the girl you hooked me up with last night- we just kept going at it, let me tell you-" He began. Haley cleared her throat, "Chris, stop the story there." She said, sighing heavily. "How did you get in here?" Nathan asked him. "You gave me your room key, man. Let us start in here." Chris smirked. Nathan's face went pale, squeezing his eyes shut. Haley burst into laughter, "Oh, Nathan. I'm so sorry that happened to you." She laughed loudly. Nathan sighed heavily, looking over at Chris. "Did you need something?" He snapped. "Oh, yeah. I need two things. One; I can't remember the girl's name. And two; I came to take this back. She told me to come look for it in here, but I'm keeping it." Chris laughed, picking the bra up off the ground. "That explains that. Who's clothes are these?" Nathan asked him, "Yeah, I don't know man, some of them are her's. This shirt is definitely mine." He smirked, picking it up. "Good thing Chris Keller packed a bag. Oh, these are mine too." He said, picking up some boxers off the ground. Nathan cringed, looking at Haley with wide eyes. "Anyways, Nate. Remember her name?" Chris asked. Nathan dug through his brain. "It was Teagan? Tyra? T... Oh no. Haley... I'm so sorry." Nathan said quickly. "Remember that I was drunk. But also remember that I'm so in love with you, and that we made vows to each other." He said. Haley frowned at him, "Nathan... What?" She asked him. "Her name is Taylor, Chris." Nathan informed him. Quinn laughed loudly, "Oh, Nathan!" She laughed out. Haley scowled at him, "You set him up with Taylor? Geez, Nathan. Do you get all match maker when you're drunk?" Haley scolded him, sighing heavily. "What's wrong? You jealous, Haley James? You know there will always been enough Chris Keller for you, baby." Chris said, grinning at her. Nathan shoved him softly, "That's her sister, you idiot." He muttered. Chris smirked, "James girls can't resist the Chris Keller charm." He said, nodding. "They can't resist the Scott Charm, either." Quinn added. "You and me, Nate? You've been with Taylor too? Damn, man. We share chicks." Chris said, elbowing Nathan. Haley glared at Chris, "Chris, shut up." She grumbled. "Yeah, Chris. Leave." Nathan said, sighing heavily, watching as Chris left, calling out. "I'm next door if you need me!"

"Okay, Nathan. Do you remember anything else? Like where Lucas is? Or Julian? Or William?" Peyton asked. Nathan thought for a second, shutting his eyes. "Oh! i remember something. Clay told me that you're pregnant. Congrats, Quinn." He said, smiling at her. Haley's head snapped to Quinn, her eyes wide. "What?" She asked quickly. Quinn looked at the phone, "Thanks, Nathan. You ruined the surprise." She grumbled. "I thought that Haley would know! I'm sorry. My head is killing me." He defended himself, sighing heavily. "Quinn!" Haley exclaimed with tears in her eyes. Quinn walked over and hugged Haley. "Oh my gosh! This is so cute." Brooke squealed out. "You should see Clay's phone wallpaper. Super cheesy." Nathan mumbled, rubbing his eyes. Everyone started to congratulate Quinn. Nathan sighed heavily, "Look, I'm going to go find Clay. I'll call you later, Haley. Hopefully on my own phone." He mumbled out. Haley nodded, smiling at him. "I'm glad you're safe. Stay that way, Nathan." Haley said, giving him a pointed look, before hanging up.

Nathan let out a deep breath, rubbing his eyes. He walked out of the room, calling his own phone. Clay answered it in a sleepy tone, "I know this isn't myself calling. Who is this?" He asked. "It's Nathan. What a crazy night we ha last night, man. Where's your room?" He asked. Clay sat up, looking around. "I didn't even realize I was in a hotel. Where are we?" He asked quickly. "We're in Chicago. Where are you?" Nathan asked him. Clay got up and looked outside his room, "I'm on the third floor, room- Oh wait, I see you." He said, waving at Nathan and hanging up. "Dude, you looked like ass!" Clay laughed as Nathan walked into his room. Lucas shot up from on the couch, looking around quickly. "What the hell? Where am I?" He asked, rubbing his head. "You and Clay must of shared a room or something, I don't know. We're in Chicago. What do you guys remember?" Nathan asked. "I remember you coming over in the middle of the night, shoving a beer bottle in my hand and throwing me in a car." Lucas muttered. "That's pretty much the same memory I have." Clay said, holding Nathan's phone out to him. Nathan took it, returning Clay's to him. "Oh yeah, I may of just told everyone about Quinn being pregnant." Nathan added, shrugging. Lucas looked over at Clay, "Quinn is pregnant? That's so exciting, Clay!" Lucas congratulated him. Clay nodded, "Yeah, we're excited. And thanks, Nathan. I'm sure she's so happy about that." Clay said sarcastically, shaking his head. "I set Chris Keller up with Taylor." Nathan grumbled. Clay and Lucas both started laughing, "Oh man, Nathan. I'm sure Haley loved that. You two share the same girls, don't you?" Clay asked him, laughing. "That's what Quinn said. Weird." Nathan grumbled out. "Okay, but apparently my soon to be step dad is here. And Julian, I'm assuming. Because Brooke was with everyone else." He mumbled, pulling out his phone and face timing Haley once again. "Hey Haley. I found Lucas and Clay. So now we just need to find Julian and William, and we'll be good?" Nathan said, looking at Clay. "Okay, if it's only this group, why did you bring Mia with you to the hotel last night?" Haley asked him. Nathan and Lucas exchanged looked. "Chase." Nathan said, rubbing his eyes. "We invited Chase! That's why we're in Chicago! Because Chase was mopey so we found Mia and flew out here." Nathan said, nodding his head. "See! I knew he wouldn't cheat on her. Fairy tale romance." Megan said to Nicole. Nathan looked at Haley, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "I say we forget the last half and come home now." He chuckled, watching as Deb gave him a disapproving look. "I remember something!" Clay said, looking at Nathan. "You paid for everything. Thanks, buddy. You insisted on it." He smirked. Nathan sat back on the couch, covering his eyes. "Dammit, why do I always do that?" He muttered, handing his phone to Lucas and laying down on the couch. Lucas waved at the group, smiling. "I may be smiling, but I feel like ass." He said, laughing quietly. "Nathan, get up. We have to go find everyone else. Let's go back to your room and look around. Since you were being oh-so generous last night, there must be receipts and stuff to look at." Lucas said, looking over at Clay. "I think he's asleep." Clay laughed, looking at Nathan. Lucas sighed heavily, "I'm in a bad mood, so forgive me for this, Haley." He said, grabbing Nathan's shirt and yanking him off the couch onto the floor. "Lucas! He has a bad back." Haley said, shaking her head and watching as her husband sat up, blinking his eyes quickly. "Did I fall asleep?" Nathan grumbled out, rubbing his neck. "Yeah, you did. Let's go." Lucas said. Nathan got up slowly, kicking Lucas in the calf. "I'm not opposed to hating you again, Lucas." He muttered, before the three guys headed out of the room.

Once they returned to Nathan's room, Lucas started laughing. "Dude, why are there clothes all over the place?" He asked, looking over at Nathan. Nathan shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, Lucas." He muttered, sitting down on the couch. Lucas walked into the bathroom, before walking out with a frown on his face, holding up yet another bra. "Nathan, this is Peyton's, I know it. What the hell is it doing in your room?" He asked. Nathan laughed loudly, "Come on, Luke. I kept that from high school and always keep it with me." He said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Peyton glared at him, taking Haley's phone out of her hands. "Lucas, what did you do?" She asked, shaking her head. Nathan had another memory flash into his head.

They had arrived at Chase's house after picking up Clay and Lucas, who were both pretty wasted by that point. It had taken a bit of convincing with Chase, but eventually, he agreed, even though it was the middle of the night. Chase was sad about being all alone, when Lucas had a brilliant idea; or so it seemed at the time. They were all going to sneak back into their homes, take some of their wives' clothes, and give them to Chase so he could keep them around his apartment. Chase didn't really like that idea, so they came up with a better one. They were going to take them, and leave them all around the hotel so that everyone that worked there would be so confused when they found random articles of clothing. Then, the following morning, the group would go pick them up from the front desk, because they thought it would be hilarious.

Nathan frowned, looking up at Clay, then at Lucas. "You know, I don't think Facetiming this whole journey is a good idea. We're going to be in a lot of trouble." He grumbled. Haley took her phone back from Peyton, looking at Nathan. "What did you guys do?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. "Well, Lucas had a brilliant idea that we would take a bunch of your guys clothes with us and leave them around the hotel. So Peyton got lucky when hers was just left in my room. Taylor's was here because she had sex in my bed then left it here. Actually, a lot of these clothes on my floor probably belong to you guys. We better find William, because I sure as hell am not looking for my mom's clothes." Nathan grumbled. Peyton glared at Lucas, "Lucas Eugene! Why do you think you're so smart when you're drunk?" She scolded him, sighing heavily. "Wait, does that mean our clothes are all around the hotel?" Haley asked, looking at Nathan. "Yep. I'm sure we told Julian to grab some of Brooke's stuff too. Man, we're idiots." Nathan groaned, leaning back. "Wait, I found something!" Clay said, holding up a set of car keys. "Nathan, I think you bought a car last night!" He laughed, throwing the keys at him. Nathan groaned, rubbing his eyes. "I doubt that's true. It was the middle of the night, and there's no way they would let me drive home that drunk." He muttered. "Which means you stole them from someone." Lucas said, and as if right on cue, someone knocked on the door.

Nathan got up slowly, handing Clay his phone and walking to the door. He opened it, frowning at the shorter man that was standing in front of him. "Um, I'm guessing these are yours?" He asked softly, holding up the keys. The guy nodded, taking the keys from Nathan, before storming into the room, yanking Peyton's bra out of Lucas' hands. He then walked back over to Nathan, punching him in the face, before heading out of the room.

Nathan groaned, rubbing his face softly. "Dammit!" He cursed, hitting his hand on the door frame, before slamming the door shut. "Okay, but why was it necessary for him to take my bra?" Peyton asked, scowling. "Because Nathan stole his car keys, so he owed him." Clay laughed, handing the phone back to Nathan. "Are you okay, sweetie?" Deb asked Nathan, frowning. "I'm fine, Mom." He muttered, running his fingers through his hair. Lucas held up a receipt. "Look was I found. A room number. It's either for Chase or it's for William. I guess it could be for Julian." He shrugged. "Let's go there." Nathan grumbled, following Lucas and Clay out.

Once they hit the room, they knocked loudly. Chase opened the door, groaning. "Guys? What happened last night?" He asked, letting them in. Nathan looked around, noticing that Mia was still asleep in the bed. "Damn, Nate. You're too kind." Clay laughed, nudging Nathan. "What happened to your face?" Chase asked, raising his eyebrows. "He got punched in the face because he stole someone's car." Lucas laughed loudly, shrugging. "Alright, I guess that works as an explanation. Where are we?" Chase laughed, looking at the three guys. "We're in Chicago. You suggested it because Mia is here. She probably needs to be back on her bus. They're probably wondering where she is." Nathan muttered, taking a seat on the couch. "Uh... Okay. Yeah. I'll wake her up, then call her a cab. How about we meet up after that? Are you still looking for people?" He asked. Lucas nodded his head, "Yeah. We have William and Julian to find. We'll see you later, Chase. Come on, little brother. Let's get moving." He said, slinging his arm around Nathan's shoulders after he stood up, walking out of the room. "Now let's go downstairs and check, because that's all I found in your room."

They soon walked out of an elevator into the lobby, looking around the big room. Nathan's eyes immediately fell on a shirt which was hung over a chair. "That's Haley's shirt." He said, rushing over a picking it up. "Nathan, I can not believe you guys thought this would be a good idea." Haley muttered. "Find all my clothes." She said, scowling at him. "I don't know what I brought, Haley. So chill out." Nathan grumbled in reply, shoving his phone into Lucas' hands. He walked up to the front desk, asking if they'd seen Julian or William. A few minutes later, he walked back over. "They said the last time they saw them was they were both heading into the pool last night." Nathan said, "So let's go there?" He suggested. They headed towards the pool, finding Julian asleep on the ground. Brooke laughed loudly, "Oh, that can't be comfortable." She laughed. "Lucas, wake him up and give him a kiss for me." She said, smirking at him. Lucas rolled his eyes, kicking Julian in the side. "Julian, wake up." He grumbled out. Julian sat up quickly, looking around. "What the hell?" He asked, rubbing his eyes. "That seems to be the story. No one can remember much of anything." Clay said, chuckling quietly. "Oh hey, look. Here's some of Quinn's stuff." He laughed, picking up some lace underwear out of the water. "Clay! I so hate you right now." Quinn groaned. "Go find the rest of my stuff, and find Deb's fiancé." She grumbled. "I think that Chase and I decided to bunk together, but then Nathan brought in Mia, and so I was going to bunk with William, but I don't know why I'm down here." Julian said, sighing. "Okay, well. Brooke's clothes may be scattered through out the hotel. Keep an eye out." Lucas said, laughing quietly. "Why don't we just go asked the front desk?" Clay suggested as they headed out. Nathan walked up to the front desk, glancing down at his phone. "Hi, so my wife got a little bit... Crazy last night. I think she may of left some clothes down here." He said. "Oh right, yes. We have a bunch of things." The man at the front said, smirking. He pulled out a bag full of clothes, before giving Nathan a thumbs up and mouthing the word 'Nice.' Nathan nodded at him, rolling his eyes once he turned away. "Okay, Hales. It looks like a lot of stuff is here. Some of it I think is Quinn's too. But there's also a bunch of crap on my floor." He said. Lucas looked in the bag, "Yeah, this shirt is Peyton's. I think I saw some of her clothes on your floor too." He said, nodding. They walked over to the elevator, pushing the button.

The group had sat their waiting for about five minutes, before Nathan had given up. "I'm taking the stairs. I want to go to sleep." He grumbled, heading towards the stairs. As he began walking, he heard a noise coming from down the hall, he walked over to the door, pushing it open and a noticing these stairs let to the basement. Nathan sighed heavily, using something to hold the door open so it wouldn't lock, he headed down the stairs. "Okay, Haley. This is really sketchy. If I don't make it out alive, I love you." He laughed to his phone. Haley shook her head, "Shut up, Nathan." She grumbled. Nathan walked down the stairs, looking around the basement. "William?" He asked, looking around until he found a light, turning it on. He found William asleep in the corner of the room, hunched over a bit. Nathan laughed quietly, turning the camera around. "Found him, Mom." He said, walking over and nudging William's leg. "Get up, man." Nathan said, watching as William's eyes blinked. "Nathan. Where... Where am I?" He asked, standing up quickly. "We're in Chicago. Apparently you got locked in this basement on accident." Nathan laughed. "Come on. Do you have a key?" He asked. William reached in his pockets, nodding. "You're probably on the third floor, same as us. Let's go." Nathan said, handing his phone to William so he could talk to Deb and his kids.

After the long walk up the stairs, they finally reached the third floor. "Okay, I guess we just start trying rooms until we find the right one?" Nathan suggested, watching as William tried a bunch of doors, the one across from his own finally unlocking. Inside of the room was a bag that was untouched, as well as Julian's bag. "So you didn't throw my mom's clothes around." Nathan let out a breath of relief. "And Julian didn't throw Brooke's around. Just us three idiots." He said softly. "Okay, well... I'm going to leave you to it, William. Call my mom." He said, heading into his own room, finding Lucas and Clay in their, picking up their wives clothes, while Julian sat on the couch watching TV. "I found William. He was in the basement." Nathan chuckled quietly, looking at Lucas. "I need you to come with me to talk to Chris." He said. "Why? I can't stand that guy." Lucas grumbled. "Because, I don't want to be stuck in a room with him and Taylor by myself." Nathan said. "You won't be alone, you have Haley on FaceTime right there." Lucas nodded at the phone. Nathan let out a deep sigh. "Fine." He grumbled, heading out of the room.

Nathan walked to the room next door, knocking on the door. Taylor answered it, wearing only a towel, smirking. "Oh, hello Nathan. Come back for more?" She asked. "I've been there. And trust me, your younger sister is definitely better than you are." Nathan said, shaking his head. "Go Nathan!" Peyton laughed, smirking. "Are you FaceTiming?" Taylor asked, looking at his phone. "Yep. I need to talk to Chris. Here, talking to Haley." He said, handing Taylor his phone. "Taylor, when did you move to Chicago?" Haley asked, frowning. "Oh about a month ago. Nathan didn't tell you?" She asked. "No, I forgot because I didn't feel like it was useful information." Nathan said, before walking into the room, and over to Chris. "Hey, Keller. We found everyone, so we're booking flights home, are you coming with?" He asked. Chris looked over at Taylor, who nodded. "I'm going to stay here for a few days, then fly home." He said. Nathan shook his head, "Whatever, man. Don't do anything stupid." He said in return, taking his phone back from Taylor. "Bye, Taylor. It's always... Nice to see you." Nathan muttered, before hurrying out of the room.

"Chris Keller finally fulfilled his lifelong goal of sleeping with one of the James girls." Nathan said, laughing. "You're so funny, Nathan." Haley said sarcastically, glancing at the time. "I have to go pick up Lydia soon. What time do you think that you'll be home?" She asked him. "Depending on when my flight is." Nathan said, walking into his own room. Lucas looked over at him. "There's a flight soon, but we'd have to be at the airport in about twenty minutes in order to make it. But luckily, we probably picked the first hotel we found, because I can see the airport from here." Lucas said, point out the windows. "Well, there you go. All I have is the clothes I'm wearing, and Haley's clothes. Julian, your stuff is in William's room." He said. "I'll text Chase to meet us at the airport." Clay said, rubbing his eyes. "Okay, Hales. I think we'll be home in a couple hours. Probably not too long after dinner time. I'll text you when our flight is about to take off so you can meet us at the airport. I'm sorry for this, I love you." Nathan said. Lucas walked up next to him, poking his head in the camera. "Always and forever, Hales. Always and forever, I love you so much." He mocked, laughing. Nathan shoved him away, "Lucas, go to your own room!" He grumbled out, waving at Haley.

About fifteen minutes later, everyone besides Chris had arrived at the airport. They quickly bought plane tickets, heading through the check out and things like that. "Man, what exactly happened last night?" Nathan asked, rubbing his eyes, wincing as his hand brushed against his bruised cheek. "I don't even know." Lucas grumbled as they boarded the plane, taking a seat next to this younger brother. Clay had taken a seat by Chase, which left Julian to awkwardly sit by William. "The flight is supposed to be about three hours. But Chicago is an hour behind Tree Hill, it's two here. It will be about six when we land." William said, leaning back against the seat. "Alright, I'm going to get some sleep. I'll talk to you guys in three hours." Nathan mumbled, shutting his eyes tightly.


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **I hope that you weren't let down by the last chapter. I know I didn't explain very much and it was kind of terrible but I was semi-satisfied with it. Sorry.**

 **Chapter 7**

Clay nudged Nathan once the plane had landed, watching him spring up and rub his head. "My head hurts so bad. I hate this. I hate you too." He grumbled to Clay. Clay laughed, shaking his head. "You're the one that got us into this, Nathan." He reminded him. Nathan shook his head, sighing heavily. "Don't remind me." He muttered. "You know what I can't believe, I can't believe that some short dude punched Nathan in the face!" Lucas laughed, patting Nathan on the back. "It's okay, little brother. You only have a giant bruise on your face. I'm sure your other cheek will have another one too, with how hard Haley is going to slap you for scaring the hell out of her." Lucas chuckled. "She's not going to be that mad." Nathan muttered, climbing off of the plane. "Maybe she'll let you recover from your hang over before she makes you sleep on the couch?" Chase laughed, nudging Nathan. "Maybe this wasn't my idea. Maybe it was William's." Nathan pointed out, shaking his head. "No, it was your idea." William said, laughing quietly. Nathan groaned, rubbing his eyes, "I'm screwed." He said, sighing. "Oh come on, man. I've known Haley forever. She doesn't freak out when her husband disappears without telling her where he is." Lucas said sarcastically. "Yeah, nothing in her past would make her worry about situations like this." Julian added, shaking his head. "Guys, shut up. Let's just find them." Nathan grumbled, sighing heavily.

After walking around for a minute, Nathan's eyes fell on his wife. He hurried over to her, running his fingers through his hair. Haley looked up at her husband, scowling slightly. "Nathan, you're such an idiot." She said, pulling him into a tight hug. Nathan picked her up off the ground, hugging her close to him. "You scared me so much, Nathan. I can't have you doing this." She said softly, tightening her arms around his neck. Nathan set her back down on the ground, smiling at her. "I'm fine, Haley. Everyone is safe." He informed her. "I'm here to get you and William. All the other women you gave a heart attack are on their way as well. So go tell your friends to suck it up and get ready. Also, tell Chase that Brooke said she would give him a ride home." Haley said, nodding over at the group that was standing off in the distance a bit.

Nathan walked over to them, sighing heavily. "Hey guys. Thanks for getting me in trouble. Your wives are on their way. Clay, sorry for telling everyone about Quinn, but if you don't want people to know, change your lock screen. Lucas, kiss my ass. Chase, you're welcome. Julian, you look like you slept on the floor of the pool. William, you got me into this mess. Good luck, boys. Let me know how it goes. Come on, William, Haley is giving us a ride." Nathan said, heading back toward his wife. He slid his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close into his side, heading out to the car.

The whole ride home was fairly silent, but it wasn't a comfortable silence. It was the kind of silence that really freaked Nathan out, because he knew that Haley was about to explode at him, but didn't want to do it in front of others. Once they pulled into the garage, Nathan got out slowly, walking around to the driver's side, hurrying and pulling open the door. Haley looked at him, sighing softly. "Thank you." She said, climbing out of the car and heading inside. Nathan followed her inside, William following behind him. "Dad!" Jamie said, hurrying over to Nathan. "What happened?" He asked him quickly, pointing at his cheek. "Oh, um. It's sort of a long story." Nathan began, letting out a deep breath and looking over at his mother when she walked into the room. "Nathan, can I talk to you for a second?" Haley asked him, nodding. "Oh, I was going to take Jamie out to the River court." Nathan said quickly, nudging Jamie so he would play along. "Oh, yeah, Mom. I want to show him the new shot I've been practicing." Jamie said, looking over at his dad. Haley scowled, "Jamie." She said, narrowing her eyes. "Um, actually. It's okay, Dad. I'm going to go see if Lydia needs any help with her homework." Jamie said, rushing away. "Help with her homework? She's in kindergarten? They get homework in kindergarten?" Nathan asked Haley, looking at her. "Nathan. Upstairs." She snapped to him. Nathan sighed heavily, turning to William. "Best of luck to you, man." He said, saluting him. Nicole poked her head out of her room, looking at Nathan. "This is what you get for being a man whore." She called out. Nathan glared at her, "Kiss my ass, Nicole. I don't want to deal with you." He snapped to her, heading up the stairs.

A few minutes later, Haley walked into their room, looking at Nathan, who was sitting on the bed. She walked over to him, sighing softly. "Nathan, you do realize that a few years ago, you were kidnapped. Taken from me for quite awhile." She began, letting out a deep breath. "Haley..." Nathan trailed off, standing up. "I'm not done, Nathan." Haley said, pushing him back down so he was sitting. "I can't go through that again, Nathan. It killed me. I couldn't think about anything but you. I didn't know if you were alive." She said, poking his chest. "Haley that won't happen again." Nathan said quickly. Haley glared at him, "You don't know that! You don't. Did you expect it to happen the first time? No!" She snapped to him, rolling her eyes. "You can't run around like this." Haley said softly, sitting down next to him. "Nathan." She said, her voice breaking a little bit. "I need you on this planet." She said softly. Nathan felt his heart break at the sound of Haley's voice. He pulled her into a tight hug, kissing her head. "It's not like I need to know where you are and what you're doing every second of the day." Haley said softly, sighing. "This just can't happen again." She said, standing up once again. "I don't even understand how this happened." Haley sighed, looking over at him. "A lot can happen when you're drunk, Haley." Nathan pointed out. "I don't know how I ended up going through all of this with William. I mean, come on. That's weird." He laughed. Haley looked at her husband, resting her hand on his jaw, lightly brushing her thumb over the dark bruise. She then moved her hand up a little bit, moving her thumb over the faint scar on his cheekbone. "Nathan, I love you. And after fifteen years, that hasn't changed a bit. But everything that has happened to us is real. You have this scar on your cheek to prove that you were kidnapped." She whispered, resting her head on top on Nathan's head, closing her eyes.

Nathan stood up after a minute or two of silence, looking down at her. "I'm safe, Haley. Stop thinking about it." He said, hugging her tightly. "I'm hungover and exhausted. But I'm safe." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. Haley nodded slowly, holding him tightly to her. "I'm still super mad at you, Nathan. Don't forget that, even though I'm hugging you." She mumbled, pressing her face into his shoulder. Nathan laughed quietly, nodding. "Of course, baby." He said, rubbing her back softly. "It's crazy that Quinn is pregnant, huh? Lucas told me that him and Peyton are thinking about having another kid too." He said softly, looking down at her. Haley looked up at him, "Why isn't anyone telling me this stuff?" She complained, sighing softly. "Quinn was going to surprise you, but I ruined it I guess. Lucas told me not to really talk about it with anyone, but you don't count in that group." Nathan laughed, kissing the top of her head once again, pulling her closer to him. "I can't believe it, really. Quinn and Clay are going to have a baby. I mean, they have Logan, but they've been married for about five years. We knocked that one out of the park within the first two. Not on purpose, though." Haley laughed, smiling up at him. "I was such an ass when you told me." Nathan sighed, resting his forehead on hers. "I knew that I wasn't going to leave you though." He mumbled, closing his eyes. "And look at where we are now. So much has happened." Nathan said quietly. Haley shut her eyes, wrapping her arms around Nathan's neck, pulling his lips to meet hers.

The two kissed for about a minute, before Nathan pulled back, looking down at her. "I'm sorry. For disappearing." He said quietly. Haley looked up at him, "Just- Don't let it happen again, please." She mumbled. "I'm still so mad at you Nathan, you need to know that. So I'd be on your best behavior. That means no running off to play basketball with Lucas at an awkward time, no getting Jamie to lie for you about playing basketball with him. If you get in bed tonight, and I tell you to go find somewhere else to sleep, you better." Haley said, nodding at him. "Oh, you won't do that. If you do, this is what I'll do." Nathan said, smirking at her. He picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. "I'll do this, then take you with me. I'm not sleeping without you." He said, laughing. Haley laughed loudly, hugging him tightly after he set her down. "I'm glad you're safe. I probably won't tell you to go sleep somewhere else." She said, smiling up at him. "But since you didn't tell me where you were going, I'm not letting you go to sleep right now. You have to come down stairs. I'll find you something to eat. Oh, and you also have to apologize to Deb. And everyone else, honestly. This was your fault." Haley hummed, grabbing Nathan's hand and pulling him out of the room.

Nathan headed down stairs, seeing Jordan sitting on the couch. "Hey Jordan. Have you seen Deb?" He asked her, rubbing his eyes. "Yeah, she went on a drive with my Dad. Yikes." She laughed, shaking her head. "Yeah, I'm sorry." Nathan grumbled to her. "I think it's funny, so don't worry about it." Jordan said, nodding up at her soon to be step brother. Nathan nodded at her, "Alright, cool." He said, looking over at Haley, who held out some left over pizza to him. "This is all I've got for you, because this is all you deserve. Left over, cold pizza." She said, shaking her head. "Go eat it in your doghouse." Haley hummed, pushing Nathan towards the kitchen. "When Jamie is in trouble, we don't let him come near the living room with food. So go." She said, sitting down next to Jordan on the couch. Nathan frowned, "Haley, you can't be serious. I thought we worked this out." He grumbled. "Hm... I thought you wouldn't run off to Chicago in the middle of the night. I'm not as mad, but I'm still mad Nathan." She said to him, shaking her head. "You need to be on your best behavior, and I'm not joking. This discussion is over for now." Haley looked over at him, before looking at the TV. "But what about all the stuff that we talked about upstairs?" Nathan asked her. "I was scared and worried about you, and as mad as I was then. I didn't realize that I was letting you off very easy until I was getting you pizza." Haley said to him. Nathan sighed, shaking his head and walking into the kitchen.

Megan walked downstairs a few minutes later, taking a seat next to the two on the couch. "I don't think Deb and my dad are going to be back soon. I don't think she's happy with him." She laughed loudly. "This is hilarious. Dad has never done anything like this before. Ever." Megan said, looking over at Jordan, who shook her head. "Yeah, Nathan used to be big on partying in high school. Every once and awhile if he drinks enough, he becomes party Nathan and wants to do something crazy. Usually I'm there to calm him down before it gets too wild, but that was not the case this time." Haley sighed, glancing into the kitchen. "I really don't know what to do about this. I just want to find out everything that happened." She ran her fingers through her hair, letting out a deep breath. "He's probably not the one to ask though. It sounds like he was the one who got drunk first. I'd ask someone besides my Dad and Nathan." Megan said, shaking her head. Haley nodded, "I really can't believe that happened. I don't know how he managed this. How did no one wake up?" She said, twisting her wedding ring around her finger. "It was the middle of the night. I'm surprised anyone even answered the door." Megan said, shrugging. Haley nodded slowly, sighing heavily. "I think I'm going to go over to Lucas and Peyton's to see if Lucas can remember anything. Keep me posted if your dad comes back." She said, walking upstairs and telling Jamie and Lydia that she would be back soon, before heading out to the garage.

Haley pulled up in front of the Tree Hill home, smiling slightly at all of the memories they'd had here. She got out of the car, walking up to the door and knocking loudly. Lucas answered, jumping slightly as a shoe hit him in the back. "Oh hey! Let's talk outside." He said quickly, hurrying outside and shutting the door. "Luke... What happened?" Haley asked as they began to walk along the sidewalk. "I don't know, I just opened the door and Nathan grabbed me." He laughed. "Oh man, this is screwed up. We can barely remember anything." Lucas sighed. "It's on the news too. So that kind of helps with the memories. There are pictures of us at bars. There are some of Nathan talking to girls, some pictures of him with girls. Just ignore those, Hales. I would remember, trust me. It wouldn't of been that short guy that gave Nathan that bruise, if he did anything to you. It would of been me for sure." Lucas laughed, wrapping his arm around Haley's shoulders. "You'll always be my number one." He smiled. Haley hugged him tightly, "Thanks for watching out for him. It seems like you do that a lot. Almost whenever you're in town." She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "There's pictures of me on there too. I may not of been in the NBA, but people know me. This is the first time anything like cheating rumors have come up though, and Peyton is pissed." Lucas said, holding her close to him. "Pretty sure that Nathan would punch you in the face if you hurt Peyton, don't worry." Haley said, smiling. Lucas looked over at her, "So, I think he's struggling a little bit. Just a warning. I know that you all... Forgave Dan. But he is struggling with the whole William thing. And with his family. I do remember him talking about it. We'd talked about it before, but he let loose while he was drunk." Lucas said, looking down at Haley. "I think he's worried that William is going to ruin the way he saw Dan at the end of his life. William is going to be a great Dad to his kids, and he's going to get jealous and bitter towards Dan. At least, that's what I think he's worried about." He said, sighing. "I think the whole reason this happened is because he's trying to turn William into more of friend like Clay is than someone who is going to be married to his mom." Lucas suggested, shrugging. "I've kind of been shutting him down when he gets worried, I suppose." Haley sighed, frowning. "I just tell him that things will be fine, I don't think I've ever asked him what he's so scared of. That could be why this happened. You're smart, Lucas." She laughed. "I should expect this now, really. He's been doing this since we renewed our vows. He would just disappear at night and go to that bridge. Then when after your wedding to Lindsey and we were in therapy he admitted that he would just walk around town at night. While he was trying to decide if he would quit the NBA, he would go to the Rivercourt late at night. And the next time he had disappeared at night, it wasn't his fault because he got kidnapped. As far as I know he hasn't done stuff like this in awhile. Usually when he gets stressed, or something big happens to him, he can't sleep and has to leave the house. I don't know, Luke." Haley sighed. Lucas sighed softly, stopping and turning to look at her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "I never told you this, but once while you guys were having issues with the whole... Nanny Carrie thing, I found him asleep on the table at the Rivercourt. He just goes to the place he feels like he needs to be, I think. I don't know why Chicago was where he thought he needed to be, but that's where he went." Lucas said softly, hugging her close to him. Haley hugged him tightly, "I missed you, Lucas. So much." She whispered. Lucas smiled at her, "I don't think this is going to happen, Haley. But Peyton and I have been thinking about moving back here. The chances are slim, but you're the one I wanted to tell first." He chuckled. Haley hugged him tighter, "Not to sway your decision or anything, but I hope you do." She laughed. "It's weird that you're not here. Even after all these years, it's still weird." Haley sighed softly, linking arms with him as they began to walk back.

They arrived back at the house, walking up to the door. "Alright, Lucas. Good luck. When are you guys leaving?" Haley asked him. "We're leaving at the end of the week, but then we'll see you guys at the wedding. I'm definitely excited for Hawaii." Lucas said, running his fingers through his hair. "Oh yeah, me too. It's been a long time since I've had a vacation, and Nathan owes me after this little stunt." Haley hummed. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow. I'm going to go see if Clay knows anymore of the story, then I'm probably going to call it a night. Love you, Luke." She said, hugging him once more before walking to her car.

Haley arrived at Quinn and Clay's home shortly after, sighing softly. She got out of her car, walking up to the door and knocking softly. Quinn answered the door, smiling at her younger sister. "Hi Haley." She said softly, stepping aside to let her in. "He doesn't remember much either, but I'll let you have a go at him. I think he's a little scared of you." She laughed. "Clay! You have a visitor!" Quinn yelled out. Clay walked into the room, looking at Haley. "Oh, hey." He said, rubbing his neck. "Hey Clay. I'm here to talk about last night." Haley said, sitting down on the couch and patting the spot next to her. Clay took a seat, frowning. "Look, Nate called me in the middle of the night and said that he needed help. So I got out of bed and a few minutes later someone knocked on my door. It ended up being him, and he shoved me into the back of a car. Basically kidnapped me. So now I've been kidnapped by someone who has actually been kidnapped." He said, shrugging. "Okay, I understand that part. But I want to know what happened. Everything. I know that Nathan came over and took you guys with him. But what did you do?" Haley asked. "We went to go pick up Chase, and Chris was at his house and Nathan just invited him too. We were sitting in Tric, drinking our asses off. Then we saw that Chase had a picture of Mia behind the counter, and Nathan got a brilliant idea." Clay laughed. "He jumps up on the counter and tells that he is going to take us to Chicago to see Mia. And when everyone is drunk, it sounds like a very good idea. So that's what we did, bought plane tickets and were on our way. Once we were in Chicago, we went to a bar and partied it up. Then everything is a blur. I remember that we couldn't find Mia, but Nathan was just faking it and knew exactly where she was because he listens to what you say. And after everyone left, he must of just gone to her hotel, and I'm sure he turned on the Nathan Scott charm because he definitely does that, and then he got Mia's hotel room number, and went to her room and took her back to our hotel." Clay shrugged, "Thats what I'm assuming happened." He said, looking at Haley. "What about Taylor?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows. "Oh, um. She was at the bar we were at I'm pretty sure. Nathan had bed talking to her and a group of people all night, and I guess he decided that Taylor would be a good fit for Chris Keller." Clay laughed loudly, rubbing his head. "Chris is never going to let the fact that it's my sister go." Haley sighed, looking over at Quinn. "How's Nathan doing?" Clay asked, sighing softly. "I think he feels pretty awful. For what he did, and from the hangover he's feeling. I also kind of made it seem like things were okay, then got mad at him again. But when it's just me talking to him, he has a way with words that can make me forget he did anything sometimes. But then when we got back downstairs the anger came back. So we'll see." Haley laughed. Quinn nodded, "Being pregnant does not help with that." She said, looking at Clay. "Yeah, I'm still mad at you for not telling me." Haley said, shaking her head and standing up. She hugged Quinn tightly, "But I'm so happy for you two. This is going to be so fun." Haley grinned at her, before looking at Clay. "If you guys ever need any help, we're here. We probably still have a bunch of stuff from Lydia. I think we gave most of our boy stuff to Brooke, but she probably still has it." She shrugged, smiling over at them. "Anyways, I'll see you guys later. Quinn, if I were you, I'd make Clay sleep on the couch." Haley said, winking at Clay, who shook his head. "Okay, goodnight guys. Thanks for helping me out a little bit. If you need anything, I'm just a short distance away!" She said, before hurrying out the door.

Haley walked into the house at about nine o'clock, brushing his finger through her hair. She walked into the living room, taking a seat next to Jamie, who was playing NBA Live with Nathan. "It's getting late, Jamie. You have school tomorrow." She said, raising her eyebrows. "Dad said I could stay up until 9:30." Jamie replied, looking over at Nathan. Nathan shrugged his shoulders, "C'mon, Hales. He's a teenager." He said, looking over at her. Haley sighed softly, "Where's Lydia?" She asked. "I put her to bed. I have been doing this parenting thing for as long as you, you know that right?" Nathan chuckled, humming softly. "Yeah, I know. I was just making sure. You've done a lot of questionable things in the lay 24 hours." Haley mumbled, sighing. "Please don't fight." Jamie grumbled out, "Because if you're going to fight, I'm going to bed." He said, pausing the game and looking at his dad, then at his mom. "We're not going to fight, Jamie." Nathan said, nudging his son. "I promise. We aren't." He frowned slightly, glancing over at Haley, who's look mirrored his own. Jamie unpaused the game, staring up at the TV. "Has Deb come home yet?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows. "No, surprisingly. She's either really mad at him, or maybe they went to get dinner, and I really want to believe it's one of those two things so don't suggest anything else." Nathan laughed, glancing at Haley. Haley nodded, reaching around Jamie and rubbing Nathan's arm softly for a second, before hugging Jamie from the side. She turned her attention to the TV as well, glancing over at her son every once and awhile. About twenty minutes later, Jamie jumped up in victory. "Aha! I won Dad. You were in the NBA, and I still best you!" He smirked at his father, pointing up at the TV. "This is not even close to the same thing, but good job, Jamie. If I didn't have a bad back, I would of beaten you." Nathan laughed, shaking his head. "Oh whatever. Your players didn't have a bad back. You just suck at video games." Jamie said, looking over at Haley. "Okay, I'm off to bed. Goodnight, Mom, Dad." He said, kissing Haley's cheek, giving Nathan a quick hug, and hurrying up the stairs.

Haley turned to look at Nathan, grinning at him. "You just suck at video games." She imitated her son, laughing quietly. "Yeah, yeah. So I've been told by a stripper." Nathan grumbled. Haley raised her eyebrows, looking up at him. "When Tim threw that bachelor party. The stripper told me I wasn't good at NBA live. I guess now my son is telling me that." He laughed, scooting closer to Haley, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Wanna play?" He asked her, holding out Jamie's controller. "Oh hell no." Haley laughed, resting her hand on Nathan's stomach, smiling up at him. "I should make you watch whatever I want on TV after today." She said, pressing a kiss to Nathan's cheek. "But I won't." Haley hummed, gripping Nathan's shirt softly. "So is your plan to be nice to me while it's just us, but then when other people are around you put me in the doghouse?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows. "Oh, sweetie. You're still in the doghouse." She laughed, moving her hand up to his chest, resting her head on his shoulder for a second. "Actually, you know what. I'll play." Haley said, taking Jamie's controller. Nathan looked at her in surprise, raising his eyebrows. "Damn that's hot." He chuckled, kissing her head. "If I win, you have to forgive me. If you win, I don't know... I'll do whatever you want until my mom's wedding." Nathan said, looking down at her. Haley raised her eyebrows, glancing at the controller in her hands. "31 and still pulling stuff like this? Alright, fine." She said, letting out a deep breath. "You have to play fair, Haley. I've played basketball with you before, and I know you have ways of trying to distract me." He said, nodding at her. Haley laughed quietly, rubbing his back for a second. "Don't be scared, Nathan. Just remember that I'm mad at you, so the odds might end up in my favor. But you also have your chance at forgiveness. So let's do this." Haley kissed his cheek quickly, watching as he started the game.

Nathan stared at the screen, dropping his controller and groaning. "Stupid video game." He muttered out, sighing heavily. Haley laughed quietly, smirking at him. "Looks like you really do suck, Nathan. I've probably played this with you five times our whole marriage. You beat me the first time because you didn't tell me how to play. You just told me I had to figure it out. Then I've beat you every time after that. Come on, honey. You knew you were going to lose." Haley laughed, hugging him from the side. Nathan sighed, "I should of known you were going to win. You win at almost everything." He grumbled, kissing her head. Haley nodded at him, running we fingers through his hair. "You're right. How're you feeling?" She asked, massaging his scalp softly. Nathan looked at her, "Haley you don't have to do that, you should just let me suffer." He mumbled. "I don't want you to suffer, Nathan. And I know this helps when you have a headache." She said softly, sending him a small smile. Nathan closed his eyes, sighing softly. Haley scooted to the end of the couch, motioning for him to lay down. Nathan looked over at her, kissing her quickly before laying down and resting his head in her lap. She began to massage his scalp again, sighing softly.

After a couple minutes, she felt his breathing slow, meaning that he had fallen asleep. "Are you scared, Nathan?" She asked his sleeping body, shutting her eyes for a second. "Because if you are, you don't need to be." Haley whispered to him. "I'm here. I'll always be here. And I know you realize that, but I wish you would tell me when you felt like this. After fifteen years, you still hate to think that you're being vulnerable with me. But I think it's brave, to admit when you're scared." She whispered, curling his hair around her fingers. Haley leaned down, pressing a kiss to his cheek, sitting in the silence.

After a few minutes of sitting there, Deb and William finally walked back into the house, which caused Nathan to stir, sitting up quickly. "Sorry." He mumbled to Haley, rubbing his eyes. "Hey mom." He said, waving at her. "William." He nodded at him, sighing softly. "You're alive, so that's good. Haley came after me with a kitchen knife." Nathan joked, kissing Haley's cheek. "Yeah, Deb pushed me out of the car and tried to hit me." William said, looking over at Deb, who rolled her eyes. Nathan laughed quietly, standing up. He pulled Haley up to her feet, humming softly. "We're going to bed. I'm exhausted. I feel like I got hit by a car, so maybe she actually did hit me." Nathan chuckled, walking over and giving his mom a hug. "Sorry about today, Mom. I'll talk to you tomorrow." He mumbled, turning and shaking William's hand, nodding at him before hurrying up the stairs. Haley shook her head, watching him go up and smiling slightly. "Alright. If you two need anything, you know where to find us. William, don't try and get my husband drunk tonight." She said, nodding at him before following Nathan up the stairs.

Haley walked into their room, finding her husband brushing his teeth. "Should I make you sleep on the floor tonight?" She asked, humming softly. "Yeah you should. Too bad I have a bad back so I need to sleep in our special bed." Nathan said, looking over at her. "How is your back feeling today? Since you slept in a different bed." Haley asked him, raising her eyebrows. "It feels fine. I really don't think I was sleeping for very long though." He mumbled, rubbing at the stubble on his face. "It's getting cold outside. I think I'm going to let this grow out a bit." Nathan mumbled, looking over at Haley. "If you're going to do that, wait until after the wedding." She said, humming softly. "I think you look good no matter what. If I don't like it, I'll tell you to shave." Haley chuckled, smiling over at him. Nathan rinsed off his tooth brush, flattening down his hair a bit. "Okay, I'm sure I'll be out by the time you're done. Sorry for today, baby. I love you." He mumbled, hugging her from behind, kissing her head and heading out of the bathroom.

As he said, when Haley got into bed, he was out like a light. Haley looked down at him, frowning slightly. She traced her finger over the dark bruise on his jaw, shaking her head. She leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, before pulling him close to her, resting her head on his chest. "Goodnight, Nathan. Just know that I plan on getting some more answers out of you tomorrow." She mumbled to him, pressing a kiss to his chest before closing her eyes and letting sleep consume her after the long day.


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 8**

Nathan woke up the next morning to find an empty bed. He glanced at the clock and jumped up when he saw that it was nearly one o'clock. He rubbed his eyes, groaning softly and sitting back down on the bed, letting out a deep breath. He picked up his phone, noting that there was a text from Haley telling him that she had gone to the store. He sighed, walking into the bathroom.

After a quick shower, he headed down the stairs, seeing his mother, William, and his kids all sitting around the TV. "Hey." Nathan mumbled, rubbing his head. "Nathan. They're talking about you." Deb said, nodding up at the TV. _"Many girls have come out and said that Scott had sex with them that night in Chicago. All these girls have pictures with them where he looks very friendly, and he always has a drink in his hand. We also have many bystanders that said that Scott declined any dances that he was offered, and any drinks that anyone ordered for him. So what is the truth? Is Nathan Scott faithful to wife Haley James? Is this just another false pregnancy story? Or is it something real?_ " The news announcer asked before the news shut off and changed to weather.

"It'll blow over." Nathan sighed, rubbing his head. "There was a story about Lucas earlier as well. You brothers and your drama." Megan chuckled. "Lucas lives for it. He'll probably write a book about this." He grumbled, yawning softly. Deb stood up, walking over to Nathan, "Let's go for a drive. I want to talk to you." She said. Nathan looked over at William, "Got any pointers?" He asked, laughing quietly. William chuckled, "You've been lying to her longer." He said, before Deb turned to look at him. "I didn't lie." He said quickly. Nathan laughed, "Whipped." He smirked, before Deb looked at him. Nathan looked down, shaking his head. "Not funny. Let's go." He said, hurrying out the door.

After a few minutes of silent driving, Deb pulled up next to the Rivercourt, handing Nathan a basketball. Nathan raised his eyebrows, getting out of the car slowly. Deb walked over and sat at the picnic table. "Make a free throw." She said. Nathan walked over to about where the free throw line would be, shooting the ball and watching it land easily in the basket. "Back up and take another shot." Deb said, watching as Nathan did so. "Think you can dunk it?" She asked. Nathan hurried to the basket, jumped up and slammed the ball into the net. "Mom, what's going on?" He asked after a few more minutes of her telling him what to do. "Nathan, I watched your father teach you to love basketball from the second that you were born." Deb began, sighing softly. "Unfortunately, him forcing basketball on you, made you fight back sometimes. You loved the game, but you started to hate him, which made you begin to hate it." She said, looking over at him. "It's a good thing you got past hating the game, and you also got past hating him. It may have been the last day of his life that you stopped hating him, but you did." Deb watched as Nathan came and sat next to her, spinning the ball in his hands. "You loved basketball so much, it was your plan. But you had to give it up, and try something new, and you're good at that too. And you like it, don't you?" She asked him. Nathan nodded slowly, looking over at her. "I was talking to Haley this morning, and she thinks that you're very... Hesitant around William and his family." Deb began, sighing softly. "Though you loved Dan at the end of his life, you had to give him up. Please, Nathan. Try something new." She said softly, resting her hand on Nathan's shoulder. "William doesn't want to replace your father. He's just as hesitant around you as you are around him. But give them all a shot, please." She pleaded with him. Nathan stood up slowly, shooting the ball and watching it sail into the hoop. "I miss basketball every day, mom. And I think about how much I hated it for awhile. Dan was an ass to me all the time about it. But I think about how different my life would be without it. If I never would of stuck with it. So fine. I'll do what you asked." He said softly, rubbing his head and picking up the basketball once again. "He's not going to be a replacement father to me though. Not that Dan was the best dad, ever. But William will never be able to give me all of the things that Dan has, I just want you to know that." Nathan said, sighing softly. Deb nodded at him, smiling slightly. "How're you doing, Nathan? With all of this. Haley told me that she's been talking to Lucas, and he thinks you're not handling it super well." She said quietly, watching her son, who was dribbling the ball around. "I don't know, Mom. It's weird. Nicole is a super bitch, Megan talks a lot, and Jordan hardly ever talks." Nathan grumbled, keeping his focus on the black top. Deb sighed softly, "I think that you and Nicole are more alike than you think. I mean, she has been making rude remarks and you've been doing alright at ignoring them most of the time. She doesn't want her Dad to get married again, and she doesn't want to have a new sibling. Your family brings so much attention to themselves because of your career, and Haley's career. She doesn't want that. She's more of a home body." Deb informed him. "And their mother?" Nathan asked, looking over at her for a second, before turning his attention back towards the basket. "She's left when Nicole was ten, Megan was eighteen, and Jordan was six. They haven't heard from her since, besides William getting divorced papers mailed to him." Deb said quietly. Nathan sighed heavily, picking up the basketball once again, looking down at it. "Nicole has really struggled with it. Megan saw it coming, as William says, and Jordan was young. But he said that Nicole has been bitter and felt like the world owes her something since the day she left. She graduated early, which is why he's considering moving to Tree Hill. Jordan is open to the idea. She would be in the same grade as Jamie so that could help." She said softly. "How's the house hunting been going?" Nathan asked, looking over at his mother. Deb smiled at him, "It's been alright. We're going to look at some tomorrow. Probably take the girls with us. Maybe you could come look at one with us?" She suggested. Nathan shrugged, "I don't know if I'd be much help." He said softly, rubbing his fingers over the smooth leather of the basketball in his hands. "But maybe." He looked over at her, smiling slightly, before looking down at the basketball once again.

After a minute of silence, Nathan looked over at Deb. "So um... Tell me about them." He said, taking a seat next to her. Deb looked over at him, "Megan attends college at University of North Carolina, and she's very good in school. Didn't quite reach Valedictorian in high school, but she was in the top three candidates. She's been dating this boy named Grayson for about... A year I think William said, but from what she's told me she either wants him to get more serious, or she's going to break up with him. William thinks he's kind of a jerk, but I haven't met him. Nicole really would rather be alone, listening to music. She kind of reminds me of Peyton so maybe you should see if Peyton can talk to her and befriend her and stuff? I bet it would be really cool if Peyton could take her to a concert or something." Deb suggested, smiling at her son. Nathan nodded slowly, "I'll talk to her, yeah." He said softly, looking down at the ground. "Jordan is very sweet, but she does have a little rebellious streak in her. I'd watch your back a little bit with her, because she likes to pull pranks, especially when Nicole tells her to. She looks up to her sisters a lot. She's very shy, but can also be loud once she's comfortable. She actually has a really difficult time making friends, and I think if she went to school in Tree Hill it would be helpful because the last school she was at was very big. William has been homeschooling her for the past year." Deb said softly. Nathan nodded, "I'll talk to Jamie. Maybe her and Madison can hang out or something." He shrugged, letting out a deep breath. Deb nodded at him, "I really appreciate this, Nathan. You're a good man. Much better than your father and I raised you to be, that's for sure. I guess I have Haley to thank for it." She said, pinching his cheek.

"How is everything going with work?" Deb asked him, leaning back a bit. "Oh, it's great. It's so cool to go around and scout people and stuff like that. I mean, it won't ever compare to being in the NBA, but man is it cool. It sucks when I'm away from home, but we work through it, and I'm never gone for more than a week especially since I was kidnapped, Clay makes sure that if we're going foreign then we go together. And if one of us can't go, then we don't. It's a pretty good system. We just bought an office for ourselves, because up until about two months ago we were doing it all from home. Now I have an office and stuff. Very official." Nathan chuckled quietly, shooting the basketball into the basket. "We have secretaries and everything. It's pretty cool. But of course, I'm taking the next couple weeks off." He said, hurrying over to pick up the ball. "Yeah, work is great. Sometimes I bring Jamie with me when I have to travel and let him meet some players and stuff. He loves it." Nathan said, smiling brightly. "And Jamie, how's he doing?" Deb asked, smiling at the look of pride Nathan had on his face when he talked about his son. "He's doing well. He's smarter than me already, which is crazy. He's definitely Haley's kid, that's for sure. He has her brains, and sadly he'll probably have her height. But he's great. He always has been great." Nathan smiled, running his fingers through his hair. "How's he doing with me and William?" She asked him. "You know, he's had a really simple philosophy forever: If something makes you happy, then why not stick with it?" Nathan shrugged his shoulders. "Such a smart kid. It's crazy." He looked over at his mother, smiling slightly. "How's Lydia?" Deb asked him. "She's awesome too. She gets more beautiful every single day, just like Haley. It breaks my heart to know that one day she's going to be all grown up, both of them are. She already has like a million boys that love her. And it sucks that one day I'm going to have to give her away to another guy and pray to god that he treats her right." Nathan said, sighing softly. "And I have to hope that we raised them well enough that they can treat their spouses correctly in return. It's scary." He said, spinning the basketball on his finger. "They have good people to look up to." Deb said softly, smiling at her son. "I hope so." Nathan said, sighing.

Nathan's phone started ringing in his pocket a few seconds later. He frowned slightly, pulling it out and seeing Haley's picture appear on the screen. His frown changed into a small smile as he answered the phone. "Hey baby." He said softly. "Nathan, I need you to have your mom pick up Lydia, and then you come down to Jamie's school right away." Haley said quickly. Nathan raised his eyebrows, frowning. "What? Why? Haley, what happened?" He asked her. He heard her let out a deep sigh, before saying, "Jamie got into a fight."


	9. Chapter 9

**I don't own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 9**

"What?" Nathan asked, frowning. "Nathan, you heard me. Hurry over here, please." Haley said to him quickly, before hanging up the phone. Nathan looked over at Deb, "Sorry to cut this short, Mom. I need you to drop me off at Jamie's school, and pick up Lydia once her school is done. We'll probably be there for awhile." He said, hurrying over to the car and getting in. Deb quickly followed after her son, "What happened?" She asked, getting into the car. "Jamie got into a fight." Nathan grumbled out, squeezing his hands into fists. Deb looked over at Nathan, beginning to drive to the Middle School. "Nathan, remember to stay calm." She reminded him. "You look really tense and mad. Hear him out first." She said. "I know, Mom. I'm not going to pull a Dan Scott on him." Nathan muttered, looking out the window. Deb sighed softly, glancing at her son every so often.

The rest of the drive was silent, Nathan got out of the car quickly once Deb pulled up. "Lydia gets out in about an hour." He said, before hurrying into the school. He hurried down to the principal's office, a place that he himself had spent quite a bit of time when he was Jamie's age. Nathan stopped when he saw Haley and Jamie sitting out front.

Haley had her arms crossed and she was staring at the lockers across the hall, while Jamie looked pretty beaten up, holding an ice pack to his face. "Look Dad, now we have matching bruises." Jamie said, looking over at Nathan and pointing at his own jaw. Haley looked up when Jamie acknowledged his father, standing up quickly. "Be quiet, James. I don't want to hear another word." She snapped to him, sucking in a deep breath. "Haley, what happened?" Nathan asked her softly, resting his hands on her shoulders. "He wouldn't tell me." She mumbled, looking up at Nathan and letting out a deep breath. "Okay, let's just wait until we get called in." He said softly, sitting down next to his son, while Haley sat on the other side of Jamie.

A few minutes later, the principal came out. Nathan stood up slowly, shaking his hand. "Principal Howard." He acknowledged him, nodding. "Nathan Scott. It doesn't seem like too long ago, you were sitting in these chairs. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Come in." He grumbled, walking into his office. Nathan walked in slowly, looking over at Haley and Jamie. He sat down in the chairs in front of Principal Howard's desk, Jamie sitting next to him, and Haley at the end. "I was praying that I would never have to see another Scott in here again after you left, Nathan." Principal Howard said, looking at Jamie. "I'm shocked, really. Jamie has always been a very good student. Handles himself well, and I've often seen him walk away from tricky situations." He said, his gaze shifting to each person in the room. "Why don't you tell us what happened, Jamie?" He suggested. Jamie looked over at Nathan, frowning slightly. "Dad..." He trailed off. "Just do what he says, son." Nathan said to him, looking over at Haley. Jamie let out a deep breath, and began his story.

 _Jamie had been sitting at one of the lunch tables with Chuck and Madison, minding his own business and eating his lunch, when another kid, whose name was Devin, walked over to him and sat down. "Hey Jamie, I heard about your dad. What a shame. Is he leaving your mom for someone younger and prettier?" Devin asked him, a small smirk on his face. Jamie just rolled his eyes and ignored him, shaking his head slowly. "Or maybe your mom is going to leave your dad? No wait, that wouldn't happen. She's a washed up singer and needs his money." He egged Jamie on, pushing his elbow into Jamie's side. Jamie looked over at him, shaking his head once again. "Dude." Chuck said, looking over at Devin. "Just go away. You don't want to mess with us." He said, shaking his head. Devin smirked, "Your dad is such a manwhore, he's probably never been faithful to your mom. Let's be honest, he loves to party so much and probably has a million different women. You're probably not his first son. Or his favorite. I bet your mom isn't even in the top ten favorite women too." Devin said, smirking. Jamie stood up, "You know what?" He snapped, throwing his fist into Devin's jaw. Devin looked over at Jamie, "Shouldn't of done that, Scott." He said, before tackling Jamie to the ground. Chuck stood up, going over to one of Devin's friends and punching him. "I got your back, Jamie!" He yelled. "Jamie! Stop!" Madison yelled to Jamie, hurrying over. "Chuck, come over and help me break them up." She called out to him, but Chuck was already fighting one of Devin's friends for pretty much no reason._

 _Jamie and Devin were rolling around on the ground, throwing punch after punch at each other, basically every chance they got they would hit each other while Madison tried to break it up. Eventually, a teacher came over and broke them up, sending all of them to the principal's office. One by one, everyone's parents came to get them, Jamie being the last one called in because he threw the first punch._

"So did you throw the first punch?" Principal Howard asked, looking at Jamie. "Technically I did but-" Jamie began. "No, no buts. You started the fight." Principal Howard said. "That's not fair! He was saying terrible stuff to me." Jamie protested, looking back and forth between his parents, who had yet to make a single peep. "Dad?" He asked. Nathan cleared his throat, sucking in a deep breath. "He's right, Jamie. You threw the first punch." He said politely, biting down on his tongue to stop himself from yelling at the Principal, saying that it clearly wasn't Jamie's fault. "But, I would of punched him too." He accidentally let out, before sighing softly. "Nathan." Haley scolded, looking at him. "I would of. If he was saying stuff like that about my mom, I would of dropped him." Nathan said, looking at Jamie. Principal Howard scowled at him, "I know that you would of, Mr. Scott. That doesn't make it right though." He said sternly. "Yeah, well. Maybe not. But I'm just saying that the other kid better get a punishment, or we're going to have some problems." Nathan replied, sitting up a bit straighter. "A punishment has already been placed on everyone but Madison, who was only trying to stop the fight from happening. We are not sure why Mr. Scolnik felt as though it was necessary for him to join the fight, but a punishment has been placed on him as the other child he fought." Principal Howard informed him. "And since your son was the one that through the first punch, he will receive the harshest punishment." He said. Nathan looked over at Jamie, who was looking at him with pleading eyes. His gaze shifted to Haley, who nodded at Nathan, then nodded at the principal. Nathan stood up slowly, stepping forward and leaning on the older man's desk. "You do know that this kid was trash talking my wife and my family, right?" He asked softly. "There's nothing to prove that for sure, Mr. Scott. The other kid claims that he was doing nothing. The only slightly reliable source was Madison, who is Jamie's friend." Principal Howard said, looking over at Haley. Nathan let out a deep breath, "Alright." He said softly, standing up straight. "This sounds fair. As long as the other kid is getting punished." Nathan agreed. "Alright. We are going to suspend him for the rest of the week, and then we will see how things go on Monday." Principal Howard said, standing up. Nathan shook his hand, "Thank you." He said, before looking over at Haley. Haley walked over and shook Principal Howard's hand, nodding at him. "Thank you two for meeting with me. I'm sorry this happened." He said. Nathan nodded, resting his hand on Jamie's shoulder, guiding him out of the room.

Once outside of the school, Jamie looked at Nathan. "Dad, are you serious? You know that what he was doing was wrong!" He said, pushing Nathan's hand off his shoulder. Nathan looked at Haley, sighing softly. "Everything he said was wrong, Jamie. The way he acted was wrong, but the way you acted was wrong too. We taught you to be the bigger person. We've always taught you that." He said, walking over to the car. He pulled open Haley's door for her, before walking over and getting in the driver's side. "This is shit! He was totally being an ass and throwing you two in the garbage! What was I supposed to do, just sit there and take it?" Jamie snapped to his parents. Haley opened her mouth to speak, before Nathan cut her off, turning to look at his son. "That's exactly what you were supposed to do. Or just walk away! And you better watch your mouth, James. You're in enough trouble as it is." He snapped to him. Jamie shut his mouth quickly, sinking back a bit from Nathan's tone of voice. "I thought you would understand." He said softly, looking down. Nathan looked over at Haley, reaching out and grabbing her hand, squeezing it softly. "Hales?" He asked her quietly. Haley let out a deep breath, "Sorry. I just didn't like being in there, and hearing the story..." She trailed off. Nathan kissed her cheek, before looking back at Jamie. Haley looked over at her son as well once Nathan started driving. "You're grounded, Jamie. Phone, play station, TV, all of it. Fighting is never the answer. Use your words." Haley said to him. "Time limit is undecided, so be on your best behavior. Especially with all of these extra people at our house." She sighed, leaning back into her seat. Nathan glanced at her, then back at Jamie who was rolling his eyes. Nathan let out a deep breath, "So, Jame. Would you of won?" He asked after a minute of silence. "Nathan." Haley scolded him, smacking his arm softly. "What? I just want to know.." He shrugged. "You can't handle not being the fun parent." She grumbled, looking out the window. Nathan looked at Jamie in the rear-view mirror. Jamie laughed quietly, "He was pretty tough, but I was winning." He said, shrugging. "Yeah, you're a Scott boy. Try fighting with another Scott, that's when things get competitive." Nathan laughed. Haley looked at him, "Really, Nathan?" She asked him quietly, sighing. "You're already in trouble too, so do you really want to go there with me? Because I can do what I'm doing with Jamie and take stuff away from you." Haley said, letting out a deep breath. Nathan looked over at Haley, "You can't take stuff away from me." He grumbled, looking out the front window. "Oh watch me." She said, shaking her head.

The rest of the car ride home was tense, and very quiet. Half way through, Nathan had turned on the radio, but Haley shut it off almost immediately. After arriving home, Nathan got out quickly, rushing to Haley's door and pulling it open. "Jamie, go get in Mom's car. Haley, I'm taking your car." He said, rushing inside quickly, and coming out with Haley's car keys. "Bye baby." He said, leaning down and kissing Haley's cheek, before rushing over to her car and getting in. Haley shook her head, sighing heavily and walking inside.

Nathan and Jamie drove silently for a few minutes, before Nathan pulled the car over and looked at Jamie. "Jamie, you know that fighting is never the answer, right?" He said softly. Jamie sighed, looking over at his father. "Dad, he was totally being a jerk to you and mom!" He said, frowning. "I know son, I know. And I always want you to stand up for your mother, because she never deserves to have people say things like that to her." Nathan said softly, letting out a deep breath. "What would you have done?" Jamie asked him, frowning. "That's not important, James." Nathan said, looking at him. Jamie scowled, "I can't believe this." He said, sighing and looking away. Nathan sighed, closing his eyes for a second. "I would of beat him up. I would beat up anyone for your mom. But as I've learned from experience, she doesn't appreciate it as much as you would think." He said, resting his hand on Jamie's shoulder. "You're a good kid, Jamie. You always have been." He reminded him, smiling slightly. "And I'm thankful that you stood up for her. But you didn't act in the right way." Nathan said softly. Jamie let out a deep breath, "Fine. Whatever." He grumbled. "Okay, just do as she says and I will try to get stuff back to you, alright? But if you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly in the best position to be bargaining with her." Nathan said, chuckling quietly. Jamie nodded slowly, letting out a deep breath. Nathan smiled at him, "Alright. If your mother asks, I yelled at you. Now, do you want to drive?"

After about two hours of Nathan letting Jamie drive Haley's car around, they pulled back into the garage. Nathan let out a deep breath, looking at his son. "Just something. Remember that none of the stuff you're hearing is true. I love your mom and I love you guys. You're a good kid. No more fighting, okay?" He said softly. Jamie nodded at him, getting out of the car slowly. Nathan ran his fingers through his hair, following Jamie inside. "Where's Haley?" Nathan asked Deb once inside, frowning slightly. "She's cleaning out his room." She said, nodding over at Jamie. Jamie groaned, shaking his head. "Mom, would you get him some more ice for his face?" Nathan said softly. Deb nodded, walking over to Jamie, "What is this fight talk, Jamie?" She asked him. Nathan chuckled, walking up the stairs. He found Haley and Lydia in Jamie's room, the whole room looking very empty and plain. "Can I have this, Mommy?" Lydia asked, holding up a game boy that Jamie had laying around that had not been messed with for awhile. "You bet you can." She said. Nathan leaned against the door way, looking around. He stood up straight as Haley began to remove his jerserys from off the wall. "Hey! You can't take those off!" Nathan protested, scowling at her. "Daddy!" Lydia grinned, running over to Nathan. Nathan picked her up, hugging her quickly. "Haley, you can't." He frowned, watching as his wife continued. "Nathan, I can. And I'm going to. He can have them back up when he's done being grounded." Haley informed him. Nathan set Lydia down, shaking his head. "No, leave them up there." He said, picking his Raven's jersey up from Haley's pile on the ground. Haley looked over at him, running her fingers through her hair. "Nathan, knock it off. You are in no position to argue with me right now." She said, sighing softly. Nathan frowned at her, looking down at the jersey in his hand, sighing softly and setting it down. "You're right. Sorry." He mumbled. Haley closed her eyes for a second, letting out a deep breath. "It sure is empty in here." He said after a second. Haley looked at him, nodding. "Lucas told me that this was what Karen did when he wouldn't take his HCM test, which reminds me that one day we need to take Jamie in for that." She said, looking over at Nathan. Nathan nodded slowly, walking over to her with caution. He stepped behind her, beginning to massage her shoulders. "Okay, we'll do that soon. Don't stress, Haley. I can tell that you're stressing." He mumbled. Haley leaned back into him for a second, squeezing her eyes shut. She pulled away after a second, "You told me I couldn't take things away from you, remember? Well guess what, I might not be taking your phone, or your laptop. But I am taking sex away from you, and I've been in this situation before. You start massaging my shoulders, telling me not to worry, then one thing leads to another, and bam. Jamie's room would be forgotten about." She grumbled. Nathan frowned, "You can't do that." He said, shaking his head. "Nathan, don't whine. There's people here anyways. There is this thing called socializing, and you seem to be avoiding it this week." She said softly. "I can socialize with you. And help you take away the stress." Nathan hummed, grabbing her hand and turning her towards him, tugging her close to him. Haley looked up at him, before shaking her head, "You can take my stress away by going and putting Jamie's stuff in the back of our closet." She said, pushing him towards the bag full of stuff in the center of the room. Nathan sighed softly, letting out a deep breath. "This isn't fair." He grumbled. Haley let out a deep breath, "You're sounding a lot like your son right now. Want me to tell you what's not fair, Nathan? The fact that my husband disappeared over night and I found out where he was from the news. Or the fact that you always get accused of cheating on me. Or the fact that some little seventh grader was telling Jamie that I'm a washed up whore that my husband only stays with because he feels bad for me? Or the fact that everyone thinks that you always cheat on me? That's not fair." She snapped, wiping at her eyes and sucking in a deep breath. Nathan frowned at his wife, walking over to her and pulling her into a tight embrace, kissing the top of her head. Haley pressed her face into his chest, bursting into tears. "Haley..." He trailed off, his voice getting caught in his throat as he watched his wife, who was usually so strong, lose it. He rubbed her back softly, holding her closely to him.

After a minute, Jamie walked in, "Hey Mom-" He began, stopping in his tracks as he watched his parents. Nathan looked over at Jamie, smiling slightly. Haley wiped off her face, sucking in a deep breath and looking at her son. "What do you need?" She asked him softly. Jamie looked back and forth between his parents. Nathan nodded at Haley, motioning for Jamie to hug her. Jamie walked over slowly, pulling her into a tight hug. "I um... Just wanted to tell you that I love you and that I'm sorry for acting the way I did today." He said softly. Nathan held up a thumbs up to him, smiling as Haley hugged Jamie back. Haley looked at her son, running her fingers through his hair. "I love you too, Jamie. Thank you for that. You're a good kid, but you're still grounded." She said softly. Jamie nodded slowly, looking around his empty room. "Yeah. Here's my phone." He said, holding it out to her. Haley took it slowly, handing it to Nathan and letting out a deep breath. Jamie looked at her for a second, before glancing at Nathan. Nathan smiled at Jamie, before nodding at Haley again. Jamie hugged his mom once again, "I'm really sorry." He said, sighing. "Yeah, well you'll have a lot of time to think about it while you're cleaning." Haley said to him. Jamie groaned quietly, nodding his head. "Okay, great. Well, I think I'm going to go to bed since there's nothing else to do." He mumbled. "Jamie, it's like six o'clock." Nathan said. "Fine, fine. I'll go downstairs and talk to everyone." He sighed, walking out of the room.

After Nathan and Haley had everything moved to the back of their closet, and hung up Nathan's old jerseys, Nathan grabbed onto Haley's hand, pulling her into the bathroom. He turned her towards the mirror, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You are the most beautiful woman in the world. Every second of every day, I fall more and more in love with you. I loved you through you leaving to go on tour, I've loved you through arguments, and fights, two weddings. I've loved you through every trial we've gone through, Haley. I even loved you through the hoho addiction." He said, watching as she smiled slightly. "You are my whole entire world. Everything I have, everything I have become, I owe to you. You taught me that the world isn't against me, and that my parents didn't define me. You've taught me so much. I would still be in high school if it wasn't for you." He chuckled. "You've also loved me through it all. You've loved me through point shaving. You gave up your dream so I could have mine. You have up Stanford, for Maryland. That couldn't of been easy. There is no way getting married when you were sixteen could of been easy. You loved me through it all. My accident, rumors, everything. You are everything to me, Haley James. You're so perfect, it kills me." Nathan whispered, hugging her close to him. "I'm so in love with you, and I could never ever leave you, or cheat on you. You know that, I just wish the rest of the world would know that too." He said softly. "We always get past these rumors, and we always will." Nathan reassured her. "You're so beautiful." He mumbled, resting his chin on her head. Haley closed her eyes tightly, before turning to look at him. "Thank you, Nathan Scott." She mumbled, pressing a kiss to his lips. Nathan kissed her back, lifting her up off the ground a bit. After a second, she pulled away, smiling at him. "You always know how to make me feel better. It's hard to stay angry with you sometimes." Haley chuckled, escaping his arms. "Let's go back downstairs. We have a crowd to please." She mumbled, pulling her husband out of the room and down the stairs.

The rest of the day went by fairly easy, after dinner was over they made Jamie do the dishes and clean the kitchen. Now, everyone was asleep except for Nathan, he was sitting in bed, looking down at his wife. She didn't break often, but when she did, it hurt him so much. All he wanted was to stop it from happening again, and this time it was partially his fault and that hurt him even more. Nathan let out a deep breath, pressing a kiss to Haley's cheek, before laying down next to her and pulling her into his warm embrace, smiling as she instinctively leaned into him, her cold hands sliding up into his shirt to steal his warmth from him. He chuckled quietly, closing his eyes and letting himself fall asleep next to the love of his life.


	10. Chapter 10

**I don't own One Tree Hill.**

 **Geez, Chapter 10 already. I really have enjoyed writing this story so far. It'll probably go on forever because I never stop thinking Naley.**

 **Chapter 10**

A little over a week later, the Scott Family, as well as Deb and William's family were standing in the Tree Hill airport, waiting to board the plane to Hawaii. Deb and William's wedding was in three days, and no one was on good terms right now, except to Deb and William, and Nathan and Lydia, as well as Haley and Lydia. Basically Lydia was okay with everyone. It had been a long week for everyone. Jamie had gone back to school for four days, but now they were taking the next week off. Nathan and Haley had both been a little bit on edge with each other, arguing over when to forgive Jamie. Nathan had wanted to do it the very next day, but Haley had told him that wasn't how parenting worked, and every little thing had been turned into something big after that, so they weren't on great terms with each other at the moment. Nathan had not done a very good job at doing what Deb had asked him to, and had been completely blowing off everyone the last week, saying that he had to meet with Clay every day, which also caused problems between him and Haley. When William had confronted him about it, Nathan got annoyed at him and told him to go away, which made Nicole and Jordan mad, well Nicole is always mad. Megan really didn't care and was on good terms with everyone, so she would try to fill the awkward silences. Jamie was mad at his parents because they still hadn't given his stuff back, and Lydia was flaunting everything she had around to bug him. So things at the airport were kind of tense.

Nathan let out a deep breath, which caused everyone's head to turn to him. "Do you have to breath so loudly?" Nicole snapped at him. "Do you have to breath at all?" He snapped back. "Nathan!" Haley and Deb scolded him at the same time. He shook his head, letting out another deep breath and looking away. Nathan looked at Haley, before looking down at Jamie. "Here, Jame. I was going to surprise you with this on the plane, but I figured I might as well give it to you now." He said, pulling Jamie's phone out of his pocket and handing it to his son. Jamie looked over at his mom, who frowned. He figured that they didn't talk about this before, but he wasn't going to say no. He took his phone quickly, "Thanks, Dad." He said, smiling at him. Nathan nodded, bumping his fist with his son's, before turning his attention to his daughter, who was complaining about standing around. He kneeled down, letting her climb onto his back before standing up again, yawning loudly. Megan watched as each member of the group, excluding herself, Lydia, and now Jamie, gave Nathan an annoyed look for his loud yawn. Lydia looked around at all of the people, frowning slightly. "Daddy, what's wrong with them?" She asked softly, resting her head on Nathan's shoulder. Nathan sighed softly, looking at her. "I don't know, munchkin. You just keep on being happy." He said, smiling at her.

Nathan stared down at his phone, Lydia hanging on his back. He glanced up when he felt someone tap on his arm. "Hey, you're Nathan Scott!" The girl, who looked about the same age as Megan said. "Yeah." He said, smiling at her. "Could you sign this for me? My brother and I were huge fans of yours." She said, smiling at him. Nathan nodded his head slowly, looking at her. "Um, Haley. Do you have a pen?" He asked, watching as his wife's attention turned to him, her eyes narrowing at the girl that was talking to him. "I always have a pen, Nathan." She said, smiling sweetly and walking over to him, setting a pen in his hands and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I love you." She hummed, glancing over at the girl, before walking back over to Megan. Nathan smiled slightly, holding up the pen. "My wife always comes in handy." He chuckled, looking over at the girl. "What would you like me to sign?" He asked, humming. "More like where." The girl smirked, tugging her shirt down a little bit. Nathan blinked quickly, shaking his head. "You realize I have a little girl with me, right?" He asked her. Lydia poked her head up over his shoulder, "Hi!" She grinned, before giggling. "Oh trust me, Nathan. I'm aware of everyone that's here." The girl said seductively, trailing her hand up his arm. "Yeah, well I don't do that." Nathan snapped, pushing her hand away. "I'd be happy to sign a piece of paper for you, though." He said quickly. The girl begrudgingly held out a piece of paper for him. He signed it quickly, not even bothering to write a note, just signing his name. "Alright. See you." He asked, turning away from her quickly, smiling as Lydia laughed loudly as she swung back and forth. His gaze shifted to Haley, who was absolutely fuming. She shook her head, rolling her eyes. Nathan walked over to her, holding up the pen. "Here you are." He said, before wrapping his arms around her, kissing her deeply. Haley pulled back after a second, letting out a deep breath. "Wow, nice." Megan laughed, looking between the two. "So what did that girl want?" Megan asked him, laughing quietly. "Oh, whatever. Like you didn't see." He grumbled, shaking his head. "What did she say?" Haley asked him, frowning slightly. "I said, 'Uh, you know I have a little girl with me...' And she goes 'Yeah, I know everyone who's here.' And I was like 'Yeah, I don't do that.' And then I signed my name on a piece of paper, and here I am." Nathan shrugged. Haley rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Classy." She grumbled, looking over at Megan, who was laughing quietly. Nathan nodded his head, kissing Haley once more when he saw the girl looking at them. "Okay, well. I'm going to go protect Jamie." He mumbled, walking away quickly.

"So what is his problem?" Megan asked Haley, looking over at Nathan for a second. "He's just being difficult." Haley sighed, running her fingers through her hair. Megan frowned slightly, "I'm sorry. It's kind of funny though, how him and Nicole butt heads so much, but they're kind of alike. I mean, she's a bit bitchier than he is usually, but he's on one right now." She chuckled, looking at Haley, who nodded and sighed softly.

Finally, their flight got called, and the group of people stood up, hurrying onto the plane. There were three seats per row, which Haley made sure did not end up in Nathan's favor. The seat order was Lydia, who had begged Haley for the window seat, Haley, and then Jamie. Across the aisle was Nicole, then Nathan squished in the middle, and Megan by the window. Deb, William, and Jordan sitting in the row behind them. Haley had taken Jamie's phone once again, shaking her head at him. Jamie looked over at Nathan, "Dad!" He protested. "I don't know, Jamie. Just listen to your mother." Nathan grumbled, rubbing his temples as Megan began to talk his ear off, while Nicole would elbow him every time he would accidentally touch her. This was going to be a long flight.

Halfway through the flight, Nicole had poked the bruise on Nathan's jaw, which was fading nicely, while he was asleep, and he sat up quickly, a scowl on his face, and before he could say anything, Haley stood up. "Okay, Nathan. Let's switch seats." She said quickly. Nathan stood up, nodding gratefully at her, before hurrying over and sitting down in between his kids. After that, the rest of the very long flight went by easily, Jamie not saying a word to him because his phone had been taken away again, while Lydia was mesmerized by the ocean.

Nathan carried Lydia off of the plane, pulling her carry on behind him, while his hung off his shoulder. She was asleep after a long flight. It was only about four o'clock in Hawaii, but in North Carolina time, it felt like ten, so it made sense that she was asleep. Nathan sighed softly, looking around the airport. He looked out the window, smiling slightly. "Jamie, look at that." He said, nodding out the window. Jamie nodded at him, rolling his eyes a little bit. "Jamie, try to have fun." Nathan sighed, nudging his son. "Nathan, do you need me to take something?" Haley asked him, raising her eyebrows. "No, I'm alright." He said, letting out a deep breath. Haley shook her head, walking over and grabbing Lydia's bag from him. "Haley, I've got it." He sad, reaching over to take it back. "No, Nathan. Just let me help you." She said, scowling at him. "No, Haley. Let me have it." He grumbled out. Haley shook her head, "This is a stupid argument, Nathan." She said, shaking her head and walking away from him. Nathan let out a deep breath, holding Lydia close to him. Nathan woke up Lydia once they were grabbing their suitcases, setting her down on top of his bag, pulling her along with him. Once they got outside, they all quickly piled into the van that was waiting for them.

About ten minutes later, they pulled up to a fairly big beach house, the car dropping them off quickly, before driving away. "I'm going to go lay Lydia down. We can wake her up later if we decide to do anything." Nathan informed the group, setting Lydia down on the bed of the first room he found. After leaving Lydia, he found Haley in a room near the room he left his daughter in. Haley turned and looked at him, "Why did you give Jamie his phone back?" She asked him. "Because, Haley. The flight was long, and I thought it was nice. He doesn't have anyone to hang out with." Nathan shrugged, grabbing her purse and pulling it out once again. "I'm going to give it to him again." He said, shrugging. Haley let out a deep breath, "I don't understand why you always do this." She said, sighing heavily. "I don't understand why we're fighting on everything we say." Nathan grumbled, running his fingers through his hair. Haley looked over at him, sighing softly. She rested her hand on her forehead, letting out a deep breath. "Why won't you just tell me what's going on?" She asked him. "What do you mean?" Nathan asked, raising his eyebrows. "You know what I mean? Why don't you just tell me what's going through your brain, Nathan?" Haley looked up at him. "I don't even know what you're talking about." Nathan shrugged. Haley walked over to him, shaking her head. "Tell me." She said. Nathan shook his head, "Okay, I don't know what's going on. I'm going to see if I can go find out when Lucas and Karen will be here." He said, walking out of the room.

Nathan walked into the living room, tossing Jamie his phone once again. "Just don't be on it too much, and you'll be fine. You might get it taken away again once this trip is over." He said, watching his son nod. Nathan looked over at his mother when she walked into the room. "When are Lucas and Karen and all of them supposed to get here?" He asked, sighing softly. "Probably around eight." Deb said, looking over at him, and shaking her head.

"Why don't we all go look around a bit?" She suggested after everyone had settled into their rooms. "Lydia is asleep." Nathan said, pushing his fingers through his hair, glancing at the time. It was nearing five o'clock now, which meant there was still awhile before his brother got here. "I can stay here with Lydia." Haley said softly. "No, that's okay. I'll stay." He stood up, pushing his fingers through his hair and walking out of the room. Haley watched him leave, sighing softly and shaking her head. "This trip is not going to be fun if he keeps being a dick to everyone." Nicole said, shaking her head. "This trip isn't for you, Nicole. You probably weren't going to have fun anyways." Megan reminded her, kicking her softly. Nicole rolled her eyes, shaking her head and looking down. "Alright, let's go. I figure we'll probably just look around, maybe get some food. Then we can do stuff tomorrow." William said, smiling over at Deb. Haley nodded at him, "Okay. Come on, Jamie. You're coming with. No options." She said. "Trust me, Mom. I was not going to fight on this one." Jamie chuckled, hurrying out the door.

At around 8:30, they arrived back at the house, seeing another car pulled up in front. Everyone got out quickly, while William paid the driver. "One time, Nathan and I came to Hawaii, and we just rented a car and it was way better than having to call one every time. Maybe we should look into that?" Haley suggested, shrugging her shoulders, grinning as Lucas walked out to grab another suit case. She ran over to him, hugging him tightly. "Geez, Hales. You saw me like a week ago!" He laughed, shaking his head. "I know, but I miss you when you're gone." Haley said, smiling. "And I need your help. But mostly because I missed you. I'll talk to you about it later, though." She hummed, picking up one of the suitcases out of the car, while Lucas picked up the final one. He quickly paid the driver, before turning to Haley. "Sawyer couldn't make it to eight. The Hawaii time zone really messes people up." He laughed, heading inside. "Yeah, we got here around four and Lydia was out. I'm getting pretty tired myself, to be honest." She laughed. "Hopefully Nathan is already asleep." She sighed, looking over at the time.

Peyton walked into the living room, smiling at Haley. "Hey Foxy. I found your hubby out back, sleeping in a chair on the deck. I sent him to bed for you." She chuckled. Haley nodded at her, glancing over at Luke. "You picked a good one, Luke." She laughed, before walking over and hugging Peyton. "Well, Lucas. Where's your mom?" Haley asked, looking around. "She's probably off gossiping with Deb. That's what they do when they get together." Lucas laughed, rolling his eyes. Peyton sat down next to Jamie, punching his arm softly. "Hey slugger. Get in any fights lately?" She teased him, laughing quietly. "Oh you know, a couple here, a couple there. I've got a few bruises, but you should see the other guy." Jamie laughed, shaking his head. "Fighting is for people who are immature, Jamie. We talked about this." Lucas reminded him, nodding. "You also told me that you and my dad got into a lot of fights in high school, does that make you immature, Uncle Lucas?" Jamie replied, smirking. "Your dad always threw the first punch." Lucas grumbled, shrugging. "That's not entirely true." Peyton said, shaking her head. "They were both immature. Still are, but now they like each other." Haley said, laughing. Lucas shook his head, "Okay, my point is. Fighting isn't good, and it gives your mother a heart attack." He said, smiling up at Karen as she walked in, Andy following behind her. "That's the truth, Jamie." She laughed. "Lily went to be. It feels so late." Karen said, looking around the room. Haley got up quickly, hurrying over and hugging Karen tightly, "It's been forever since I've seen you!" She said, smiling at her. "I know, I know! It's been way too long. We always make plans to go back, but they always fall through." Karen said, smiling brightly at Haley, glancing over at Jamie and waving. "Hey Aunt Karen." Jamie said, standing up and walking over to hug her. "You've gotten so big, it's crazy." She laughed, nodding at Jamie. "I'm sure Lily has grown, I can't wait to see her again." Haley said, looking at Andy and smiling. "Hi Andy." She said, walking over and hugging him. Andy nodded at her, "Hello, Haley, Jamie. It's always nice to see you." He smiled. "Where's Nathan?" Karen asked, looking around. "He's asleep, thankfully. He's been in a mood today, and I'm hoping that sleep will help him out." Haley said, sighing softly. "That's what Deb was telling me upstairs. She also told me that William's kids are a little... Much. And all of their personalities are opposite of each other. Is that true?" She asked. Haley nodded her head, "Yeah, that's one way to put it." She hummed, glancing over at Lucas. "The mean one likes Peyton and me, so just roll with us." He laughed, shrugging.

After a few minutes of talking, Lucas looked at Peyton. "I'm going to go grab something from my suitcase, I'll be back." He said softly, standing up and walking up the stairs. He looked around, until he found Nathan and Haley's room, seeing Nathan standing at the window, staring outside. "Hey Nate." He said, stepping into the room. Nathan turned around, looking at him. "Oh hey, Lucas. Sorry I didn't come say hi, I was going to try and got to sleep but-" He was cut off by Lucas grabbing him by the shirt and forcing him up against the wall. "You better cut the shit, Nathan. Haley looks exhausted, and drained. I don't know what's going on between you two, but knock it off." He snapped to him, looking at his brother and shaking his head. "I told your son that fighting is immature, and it is. But you also know that I would beat the hell out of you for Haley, so watch your back, little brother." He snapped to him, pushing Nathan up against the wall once more, before letting go of him and patting his head. "Good boy." He grumbled, walking down the stairs.

"Lucas, what was that loud banging noise?" Deb asked him once he had returned to the living room. "Oh, I tripped and fell. Twice." He said, shrugging his shoulders and glancing over at Peyton. "Where's William?" Lucas asked, humming softly. "Oh, he went to bed. His kids did as well. I'm probably going to head off soon myself. It's like what, two in the morning in Tree Hill?" Deb asked, shrugging. "Yeah, something like that." Haley said, running her fingers through her hair and looking at Jamie, who was dozing off on the couch. "Jamie." She said, walking over to him, rubbing his back. "Go upstairs and go to bed." She said quietly. Jamie blinked his eyes open, nodding slowly and heading up the stairs.

After about another hour of talking, everyone else decide to go the bed as well. Haley walked into her and Nathan's room after taking a shower, finding him awake and reading a book. "It's weird not having a bathroom connected to our room. We should of fought for the master." She said, chuckling quietly. Nathan looked at her, setting his book down on the night stand. "Yeah, tell me about it." He said, smiling slightly. "So, Nathan..." Haley said, sitting down on the bed, beginning to rub lotion on her legs. "How often do random girls walk up to you and ask you to sign their boobs?" She asked, laughing softly. Nathan shook his head, "Not often, but it still happens more than I would like." He grumbled, shaking his head. "And do you ever do it?" Haley asked him, raising her eyebrows. "I did when I was in high school. But no one ever asked for my signature then, I just would do it if someone walked up to me and had a pen or a marker in their hands. But I would never do it now." Nathan shook his head, "It's a super awkward and uncomfortable thing to ask, I think. It would take some guts to ask someone that." He said, sighing softly. Haley laughed quietly, looking over at him. She sighed softly, scooting up next to him. "Are we going to talk about what's going on right now?" She asked him softly, reaching up and brushing her fingers through his hair. "I don't think there's anything to talk about. I think you made up something about me in your mind, that makes me seem like I'm hiding my feelings and stuff from you." Nathan said softly, letting out a deep breath, laying his head against the backboard. "That's not true, you just aren't acting like yourself lately." She said, frowning at him. "Neither are you." Nathan shrugged, looking down. Haley leg out a deep sigh, "Alright. Well before this small argument gets bigger and louder, I'm going to bed." She said, standing up and turning off the lights, laying down with her back to Nathan, sighing softly. After a minute, she felt the bed shift as Nathan laid down, his back to her as well. She closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath. Finally after a few minutes, she fell asleep to the sound of Nathan's steady breathing.

 **Okay, yes there's another chapter already. I may put another one up today as well because I have a lot of free time today.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 11**

Haley woke up at nearly five in the morning Hawaii time, quickly doing the math and realizing it was nearly 11 in Tree Hill. She shook her head, glancing over at the empty bed next to her. She heard some noises downstairs, letting out a deep sigh and heading down stairs. Haley walked into the kitchen, seeing Nicole downstairs eating some cereal, Jamie, Peyton, Lydia, and Sawyer sitting at the table with her. "Hey, have you guys seen Nathan?" She asked them, leaning against the counter. Peyton looked over at her, "Oh, he went on a run with Lucas about fifteen minutes ago." She said, smiling at her. Haley nodded, walking over to the table, rubbing Jamie's back. "How's the face feeling today, Jamie?" She asked him, turning his head and rubbing the bruise on his face. Jamie shook his head, "It feels fine." He said, sighing softly. "Hopefully it fades before the wedding. Same with your father's." Haley said, looking over at Lydia, smiling. Lydia waved at her, holding up her spoon. "Look! Nicole got me some cereal." She said, smiling brightly. "That was nice of her. Did you tell her thank you?" Haley asked, walking over and kissing Lydia's head. Lydia nodded, giving Nicole a thumbs up. Haley sat down, brushing her fingers through her hair.

About a half an hour later, Nathan and Lucas walked in, both of them soaking wet. "What happened to you two?" Peyton asked, raising her eyebrows. "We, um, fell in the water?" Lucas said, glancing over at Nathan, who nodded. "Yeah. Haley, do you want to go on a walk?" Nathan asked, holding out his hand to her. Haley grabbed onto his hand, pulling herself up to her feet. Nathan walked outside slowly, Haley following behind him. He walked down to the beach silently, letting out a deep breath.

Haley looked over at him, after they walked along the beach for a couple minutes, frowning slightly at the frustrated look he had on his face. She reached over and grabbed his hand, turning him towards her. She rested her hand on his face, looking up at him. "Nathan, just tell me." She whispered, brushing her thumb over his cheekbone. Nathan looked down at her, sitting down on the sand, staring off at the ocean. Haley sat next to him, resting her hand on his back. Nathan was quiet for about a minute, keep his gaze down into the sand, before he looked up at the ocean, staring at the horizon and sighing. He let out a deep breath, "I'm scared." He grumbled finally, kicking his foot into the sand. Haley looked at him, resting her head on his shoulder for a second. She kissed his jaw quickly, brushing her fingers through his damp hair. "Nathan, you don't need to be scared." She said quietly, smiling at him. His gaze continued to focus on the ocean, a small frown on his face. "What are you scared of?" Haley asked him softly. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke again. "I'm scared that I'll go back to hating Dan because I'll look at the way William is with everyone, and realize I never had that." Nathan mumbled, his gaze shifting to the sand. "I'm scared that Jamie is going to become a douche bag like I was." He said, sighing softly. Haley frowned at him, moving so that she was kneeling in front of him. She gently rested her hands on his cheeks, making him look up at her. "Dan saved your life, Nathan. He saved Jamie's life. By saving you two, he saved me. He saved Lydia. Just remember that if you ever feel that anger again." Haley said softly, resting her forehead on Nathan's, closing her eyes. "And don't you ever worry about Jamie being a douche bag. You are not Dan Scott, Nathan. You won't let him treat others bad. You are a good man. You didn't find out who you wanted to be until you were older, but we've taught Jamie to respect people, and we've taught him that though he is amazing, he isn't the king of the world." Haley said softly, resting her hands on Nathan's arms, before wrapping them around his neck. "Remember that Jamie getting in a fight has nothing to do with us. That was his choice. We've taught him that fighting is wrong. And one fight is not going to make him a jerk.. Don't tell him I said that, because I've really been hammering down on him." She said softly, smiling at him. Nathan wrapped his arms around Haley's waist, pulling her close to him, resting his forehead on her shoulder.

They sat there silently for a few minutes, wrapped up in each other, before Nathan spoke up. "I've been treating you terrible the past few days. I'm sorry." He said softly. Haley rubbed the back of his neck softly, holding him tightly. "I haven't been so nice to you either." She said quietly, pressing a kiss to his head. "Lucas noticed it right away though, that something was off." He sighed softly, lifting his head up and looking at his wife. "I'm his brother but he'll always choose you over me. Really, I don't blame him." Nathan laughed quietly. Haley ran her fingers through Nathan's hair. "So, I'm guessing he didn't trip and fall twice last night?" She said, smiling slightly. "No." Nathan laughed, shaking his head. Haley shook her head, "Here we are, trying to teach our son that fighting isn't the answer, and Lucas just had to go pick a fight with you. Don't tell Jamie." She laughed, moving to sit next to Nathan once again. "I'm sorry, Hales. I really am. I don't know..." He said softly. Haley looked at him for a second, before grabbing onto his hand. "Nathan, after my mom died, I pushed you away. I pushed everyone away. And I know that this isn't the same situation, but these are situations when we should lean on each other. When we're sad, or scared, or stressed, anything... We should lean on each other instead of trying to stand alone. I don't know why that gets so difficult for us sometimes, Nathan." She said, closing her eyes. "I don't know either. I mean, nearly 15 years, you'd think we'd have this down by now." He chuckled, kissing her hand. "I doubt we'll ever have it down." Haley said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I can't believe it's only like six o'clock in the morning. It's weird." He said, kissing her head and closing his eyes. Haley nodded, looking out into the ocean. "So what happened with you and Lucas? Why're you all wet?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. "Well, we were running along the shoreline. And I said something about when I was dating Peyton, and Lucas didn't like it very much, so he pushed me. And that meant war, I guess." Nathan laughed, looking down. "What did you say?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows. "I asked his she tries to make him slip in the shower after they fought. Because that's what she would do sometimes. We would of gotten in a fight, then I would get in the shower and she would cover the floor in soap and try to make me slip. I hated it so much." Nathan grumbled. Haley shook her head, laughing. "This is such a weird conversation. My husband talking about his ex girlfriend, who is now his brother's wife." She laughed, looking up at him. Nathan looked down at her, smiling slightly and standing up. "Come on. Let's go back to the house and deal with the madness." He said, pulling her up to her feet.

They began to walk back to the house slowly, their hands intertwined, a small smile on both of their faces. "It's been awhile since we've been to Hawaii. I'm not sure what to do here when you have kids with you." Nathan laughed, squeezing her hand. "I think your mom has looked into it a bit, and I was planning on looking for something to do as well." Haley said, looking over at him, smiling. The two walked up to the house, stopping in front of the door. Nathan let out a deep breath, "I'm sorry, Hales. I'm going to control myself, and I'm going to be normal the rest of the trip. I'm mostly sorry for how I've been treating you." He said softly, looking down at her. Haley nodded slowly, "I'm sorry for how I've been treating you as well, Nathan. I don't like it when you're stressed." She whispered, pulling his face down and kissing him quickly. Nathan wrapped his arms around her, jumping when they heard someone hit the window. "It's a glass door, you two!" Peyton said, chuckling quietly. Nathan shook his head, rolling his eyes. "I love you, Haley James." He said, looking down at her. Haley smiled up at him, "I love you too. Even when we're arguing, I would drop anything to help you. Remember that." She said, kissing him once more, before heading inside, Nathan following after her.

Deb looked over at them from her spot at the table with William, Karen, and Andy. "You guys are back. So, I know it's still early. But there are a couple of hikes and things that we've been looking at." Deb said, looking over at the group that was in the living room. "Yeah, sounds good, Mom." Nathan said, wrapping his arms around Haley, hugging her close to him. Haley shook her head, chuckling quietly before pulling back from him and looking over at Deb. "That sounds great, Deb. we just need to make sure it's nothing too crazy so Lydia will be okay." Haley hummed, "And when she says Lydia, she means Nathan and Lucas. Because bad heart, and bad back." Peyton laughed, pointing at Lucas, then at Nathan. Nathan shook his head, "I can run up a straight up and down cliff, if I wanted to." He said, shrugging. Haley rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Go shower, Nathan." She said, pushing him towards the stairs. Nathan rolled his eyes, heading up the stairs.

Lucas was sat by Nicole on the couch, reading through a notebook that she had given him. Haley looked at Peyton, raising her eyebrows. "Oh, he's reading a couple chapters of the book she's writing, I guess? I'm not exactly sure." Peyton informed Haley, shrugging her shoulders. Haley nodded her head, "Oh, that's cool." She said, looking over at Lydia, who was coloring in her princess coloring book, humming softly. "Do you guys know where Jamie is?" Haley asked, frowning slightly. "Yeah, he got a phone call and left." Lucas said, looking up at Haley, before looking back down at the book. Haley nodded her head, walking up the stairs to where Jamie's room was. She raised her hand to knock on the door, pausing when she heard Jamie's voice. "I miss you too, Madison." She heard him say, covering her mouth quickly. "I'll be home in a week though, I can't wait to see you. My parents just barely gave my phone back, but my dad said that they might take it away again once we get home. Hopefully they don't, but if they do I'll at least see you at school." Jamie said. "I miss you a lot. I just saw you two days ago, and I already miss you..." He trailed off.

Haley hurried to the bathroom, knocking on the door quickly. "Nathan! Nathan!" She whisper-yelled, shaking the door handle. Nathan quickly got out of the shower, pulling on some basketball shorts. He pulled open the door, "Whats wrong, Haley?" He asked her. She pushed him into the bathroom, closing the door and leaning against it. "I think Jamie has a girlfriend!" Haley said quickly, looking at him with wide eyes. "I think he's dating Madison." She looked up at him, frowning when he didn't look surprised. "Uh, don't be mad. But... I kind of already knew that." Nathan said, shrugging his shoulders. "What? Nathan." She grumbled, shaking her head. "Yeah, he told me not to say anything. It's been a few weeks." He said, looking down at her. "These are the kinds of things you tell me, Nathan." Haley said, poking his chest. "Sorry, he told me he would tell you eventually." Nathan laughed, shaking his head. "Well?" She said, looking up at her husband. "Well what?" Nathan raised his eyebrows. "What do we do?" Haley asked him, frowning. "You pretend like you don't know, until he tells you." Nathan informed her, shrugging. Haley groaned, leaning her head forward, resting it on his chest. "I don't want to do that. I want to find out more." She complained. "Okay, well. You can't do that. What you do need to do, is let me finish showering, and not talk to anyone about this." He said, turning her towards the door, pulling it open. Haley sighed, walking out of the bathroom, shaking her head.

At around ten o'clock, everyone was in two separate cars, ready to go. The car ride was about a half hour, then they all hurried out. "Okay, so after this, I think we should go to a car rental place and rent some cars. Just to make things easier." Haley suggested. Karen nodded, "Yeah, I think that's a good idea." She said, smiling slightly. Nathan walked over to Haley, wrapping his arm around her waist for a second, glancing over at Jamie, who was texting. "Hey, Jame. Let's put the phone away for a bit. You are in Hawaii, you know." He said, squeezing Haley's waist softly, before walking over to Lydia, smiling down at her. "Okay, onward." William said, pointing towards the trail. Nathan tugged his hat down onto his head, watching as Lydia ran over to Sawyer. Nathan let out a deep breath, glancing over at Megan as she stepped up next to him, throwing her arm around his shoulder. "Hey, brother." She said, smirking at him. Nathan shook his head at her, "Yeah, I don't really want you to call me that." He grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Oh come on, it's going to be real soon, so get used to it, buddy." Megan said, nudging Nathan. Nathan sighed heavily, "Hey, Haley really likes your company, where as I like to enjoy nature. Why don't you go see how she's doing?" Nathan suggested. Megan laughed quietly, falling into place next to Haley, while Peyton hurried so she was walking next to Nathan. "Look at my husband, your step sister likes him way more than she likes you. And he's just chatting her ear off about the book she wrote." Peyton laughed, linking arms with Nathan. "If only I was the smart brother, right? I just got cursed with basketball skills and good looks." Nathan chuckled, shaking his head. Peyton looked over at him, "I don't know, I think I prefer him." She laughed. "Hey, I think I prefer my wife over you, so it's all good." He smirked, glancing over his shoulder at Haley, winking at her. Peyton smiled at him, "Lucas told me you were being a little bit of a douche to everyone. He also told me that he had a little run in with you last night, what's that about?" She asked, glancing ahead of them to make sure Sawyer was alright. "I've just been having issues with this whole thing. I was being a dick to everyone, including Haley. I don't know." Nathan shrugged, glancing over at Peyton. "But we talked about it this morning. So all is well." He said, sighing softly. "What about you, Sawyer? How're things going in your household?" Nathan asked her, unblinking his arm from hers, wrapping it around her shoulders. "It's been awhile since anyone has called me that, it's a little weird because it's my daughter's name.." Peyton chuckled, wrapping her arm around Nathan as well. "All is well in our house. Sawyer has her moments, but she's basically me so I know how to deal with it." She laughed. "Lucas mentioned something to me about another kid." Nathan said, glancing over at Peyton and smiling. "Oh, he did? He can't keep his mouth shut. I'm surprised he didn't spill it to Haley a month ago." Peyton laughed. "Oh, but I told her. Don't you worry." He hummed, shrugging. "Yeah, well. We'll see what happens. If pregnancy is too high of a risk, we'll definitely look into adoption." She said to him, looking over. "What about you, Scott? Any more in the works for you?" Peyton asked him, looking over at Haley. "Not at the moment, no. But I just do whatever my wife says, so if you want to know, she's the person to ask." Nathan laughed. Peyton nodded her head, looking up ahead of them at Lydia and Sawyer, smiling. "Sawyer is good with her. I know that she gets a little annoyed at her sometimes, but I'm grateful that she isn't mean to her." Nathan said, smiling up at them. He looked over at Jamie and Jordan, who were immersed in a conversation that he couldn't hear any of. He smiled slightly, letting out a sigh of relief that both of his children were happy at the moment.

After hiking for a little bit, they were on the top of a mountain, Haley walked over to Nathan, who was sitting on a rock, talking to Lucas. She wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, leaning forward and resting her chin on top of his head. "Hey baby." Nathan said, glancing up and smiling. "Hey you. Want to come take a picture with me?" She said, rubbing her hands over his chest. "I'd love to." Lucas said, grinning at her. "Yes, Lucas. I was talking to you." Haley laughed, kissing the top of Nathan's head, handing him her phone. "Yeah, I'll take a picture of you two." He smiled, standing up slowly. "Take a picture of me pushing him down the mountain." Haley laughed, pretending as though she was going to push him down, Lucas laughing quietly. Nathan took the picture, rolling his eyes. "There you go." He said, handing her phone back, beginning to walk away. Haley grabbed onto his shirt, shaking her head. "Not so fast. You're taking a picture with me, and one with the kids. Then you can be done." She said, smiling at him. Haley handed Lucas her phone, motioning for Nathan to come stand next to her. Nathan shook his head, standing next to his wife, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, smiling for the picture. "I think I blinked." He said, looking at Lucas. "Don't worry. I can just take another one." Lucas said, nodding. Nathan glanced down at Haley, before dipping her down and kissing her quickly, smiling at the shocked noise that escaped her. After a second, he pulled back, smirking slightly. "Nice." Haley laughed, kissing his cheek. "Okay, Jamie, Lydia. Come here." She said, motioning for them to come over. They hurried over, Jamie grumbling quietly. The family of four took a quick picture, before separating from each other once again. "Wait, wait. We need a picture!" Peyton said quickly, rushing over and handing Haley her phone, pulling Lucas and Sawyer with her. They quickly smiled for the camera, while Peyton called Karen and Andy into the picture. Nathan and Nicole both groaned at the same time, before glaring at each other. "Well, that was a little freaky." Megan laughed, looking over at the two. Nathan rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Okay, we have our pictures. Let's go." He said, sighing softly. "Wait, wait." Deb said, glancing over at William. "I want a picture of us and our kids." She said softly, looking at Nathan. Nathan opened his mouth to reply, Haley quickly grabbing his hand. Nicole narrowed her eyes at Deb, "Yeah, there is no "our" kids. There is your kid, and my dad's kids. Just so we're clear on that." She said, stepping over to take the picture. Nathan let out a deep breath, kissing Haley quickly, sighing as Deb handed her phone to his wife. He walked over to where Megan, moving so he was standing between his mother and Megan. He slid his arm around his Mom's shoulders, hesitating before putting his arm around Megan too. They all smiled for the picture quickly, before Nathan rushed back over to Haley. Haley looked up at Nathan, smiling slightly. "Good job." She hummed, glancing over at Lydia. "Well, I guess we better start heading down." Haley suggested, glancing up at the storm clouds that were forming in the sky.

Once they had finished their hike, rain had started to lightly sprinkle down on them. "Okay, it's like two o'clock. I say we go rent let's say... Two vans? Then we go get lunch, then go back to the house." Nathan suggested, pulling his hat off his head, putting it on Lydia, who started giggling. He grinned down at her, picking her up. They quickly piled into the cars they had called, driving to the car rental place and renting two vans, which took about two hours to do, which made it four o'clock, closer to dinner time than to lunch. "Okay, we can either have an early dinner, or wait a couple hours then go out to dinner?" Haley said, looking over at Nathan. "Actually, William and I were thinking we were going to go to the store, then cook for you tonight." Deb said, rubbing her hands together. "We want to have a family dinner, and you all have to go. We're going to eat together, as a family." William said sternly, looking over at Deb. Nathan let out a deep breath, "Alright, sounds good." He said, running his fingers through his hair. "I guess we just... Go back to the house? I mean there's not much we can do with it raining like this." Nathan suggested, glancing over at Haley and winking. Haley rolled her eyes, elbowing him softly. "Sounds like a good idea, thank you Nathan. So who drives well in the rain?" Deb asked, humming softly. Peyton smirked slightly, "Nathan and Haley handle themselves well in the rain." She said, looking over at the two. "No, Haley is terrible at driving in the rain." Nathan said, "But I'll drive one." He said quickly, getting into the driver's side. After a few minutes of discussing, Andy had decided to drive the other van.

They arrived back at the house about a forty minutes later. Nathan quickly walked around the car, pulling open Haley's door quickly. After most of the passengers had gotten out of the car, Nathan climbed into the back, unbuckling Lydia quickly. "Hello gorgeous. Did you have a fun time?" He asked her, smiling as she was nearly falling asleep in her car seat. He pulled her out of the car, locking it. Lydia looked up at the sky, smiling at the rain. "Daddy, will you stay out here and dance with me?" She asked him quietly, smiling at her father. Nathan laughed quietly, glancing towards the door. "If you get sick, it's not my fault." He informed her, setting her down on the ground, bowing to her. "Princess Lydia, may I have this dance?" He asked, grinning at her. Lydia giggled, nodding at him. Nathan grabbed onto her hands, beginning to dance around in the rain with her, laughing quietly. He picked her up after a little bit, spinning her around. Lydia laughed loudly, hugging him tightly. Nathan looked down at her, smiling brightly. "You're going to be even more tired after this." He said, setting her down. Lydia shrugged her shoulders, taking a about ten steps away from Nathan. "You have to catch me, Daddy." She informed him, before running in his direction, jumping when she was about two feet away. Nathan caught her, hugging her close to him. "You're crazy, you know that? You get it from your mother." He laughed, rubbing her back when she started to shiver a little bit. "Let's go inside." He said, smiling at his daughter.

They headed inside, both of them soaking wet. Haley looked over at them, laughing quietly. "Please don't get sick." She said, smiling. "Okay, Lyds. Go upstairs and get changed." Nathan said, setting Lydia down, watching her run away. He glanced over at Haley, smirking slightly. "Nathan, don't do it." She said to him, but it was already too late. He ran towards her, pulling her into a tight hug so she couldn't get away. Haley laughed, fighting him for a second, before eventually wrapping her arms around his neck, shaking her head. "That was cute, Nathan. You and Lydia." She hummed, hugging him tightly. "She's just like you." He said softly, glancing down at his wife, smiling brightly. Haley ran her fingers through his hair, pulling his face down to kiss her. After a minute or so, Nicole cleared her throat from her spot next to Lucas on the couch. "Seriously? You guys are worse that Megan and her boyfriend." She grumbled. "Yeah, no you're not." Megan laughed, shaking her head. "You ruined their moment, Nicole. Rude." She scolded her, shaking her head. Nathan sighed softly, kissing Haley once more. "Okay, well I better go change. Have Deb and William left yet?" He asked. Haley shook her head, "They said that they were leaving soon." She smiled up at him. Nathan nodded slowly, before heading towards the stairs.

Haley walked over, sitting by Megan on the couch, humming quietly. Megan looked over at her, smiling. "Ignore my sister, I think that you two are cute. Jordan does too. She's just pissy." She laughed, looking over at Nicole, who was emerged in a conversation with Lucas about her book. "She does like people occasionally though." Megan laughed, shaking her head. "I'm sure she really appreciates Lucas taking the time to read her book and help with it." She smiled slightly. "So she has to admit that something good has come from this whole situation. Lucas Scott is her step brother's brother. Weird phrase, but it's cool for her." Megan laughed. She looked over as Deb and William walked past. "Drive safe!" She called out, waving at them as they walked out. "So, what do you think about this?" Haley asked her, raising her eyebrows. "I think it's great. My mom was terrible, and my dad was unhappy. But it's nice to see him happy again. Deb hasn't told us much about Dan. But it was in the book." Megan said softly. Haley glanced over at Lucas, making sure he wouldn't overhear the conversation. "Dan was an asshole. All of their lives. He had his moments that would make you believe that he was becoming a good guy, but for most of their lives, he wasn't. But he's done so much. He's saved Jamie's life, and mine, and Nathan's. Without him, I wouldn't have the two boys that make me happiest. So before he died, Nathan and I decided to forget about all the bad for a little while, and just focus on the good things he's done." Haley said softly, glancing over at Lucas once again. "Jamie loved him so much, he really did." She shrugged her shoulders, sighing softly.

"Haley Scott, I have a present do you!" Nathan called out, holding Lydia upside down over her shoulder, shushing her because she was giggling loudly. Haley smiled, glancing over at him. "Wait! Don't look." He said. "Cover your eyes, Mommy!" Lydia called out. "Lydia, shh! You're the present." He grumbled, glancing over his shoulder at her. "Oops! Sorry." She said, giggling loudly. Nathan shook his head, walking around the couch, setting Lydia in Haley's lap. "One tired daughter who is going to fall asleep any second." He hummed, before falling into the spot next to her. "One energetic husband to has the energy to do anything you want." He said, winking at her. Haley rolled her eyes, smiling at him and glancing over at Megan. "I want you to run around the house." Lydia laughed, poking Nathan. "Lydia! I just got dry!" He protested. "Come on, Nathan. You said anything." Haley laughed, raising her eyebrows at him. Nathan stood up, before Haley grabbed his hand and pulled him back down. "I want you to do fifty push-ups." Nicole said, looking over at him. "Just fifty?" Nathan asked, standing up. "Okay, let's see if you can do fifty before you make comments like that." She said, rolling her eyes. "Oh trust me, I can do more than fifty." He said, smirking. "Do them with me sitting on you!" Lydia said, grinning. "Alright, alright. All aboard." Nathan laughed, getting down on the ground. Lydia jumped onto his back, Nathan pretending to land face first on the ground, laughing quietly. He got back up in push-up form, beginning to do push-ups. Fifty push-ups later, Lydia jumped off of his back, laughing quietly. "I told you." Nathan shrugged, looking over at Megan. "Did you video me?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. "For snapchat." Megan informed him. Nathan raised his eyebrows, "What does that mean?" He asked. "Oh man, Nathan. You're only like six years older than me. How can you be act so old?" She laughed, showing Nathan the video. "When your step brother is Nathan Scott." He read out loud, raising his eyebrows. "What the heck is this?" He asked, frowning. Haley laughed, pulling him over to her. "Honey, you just impressed everyone, and now you're embarrassing yourself and putting an age on us. Stop talking." She said, smiling up at him. "I know what snapchat is." Lucas spoke up, nodding his head. "You send pictures to people and they disappear." He said. "Does Jamie have one?" Nathan asked, looking at Haley. Haley nodded, "Nathan, let's just drop the subject. You're getting old, baby." She laughed. "I don't think he should have one of those because I know what I would of done with it in highschool, I would of-" He was cut off by Haley's elbow in his side, her gaze flicking to Lydia. Nathan nodded, sighing softly. "That's weird. Does anyone follow you on snapchat that might, I don't know... Post it to twitter or Instagram or anything? Those I have, and know about." He asked Megan, raising his eyebrows. "No, Nathan. Unless they save it to their phone but they have to download a totally different app for that." Megan laughed, glancing over at Haley. "Why, Nathan? Is there things out there that you don't want us to hear from people?" Nicole asked, raising her eyebrows. "No, I just don't want you guys to be hounded by reporters when they find out my mom got married." Nathan grumbled, wrapping his arm around Haley's shoulders. Nicole rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to her notebook. "I'm still impressed by that, Nathan. Good job." Haley laughed, squeezing his bicep. "I'm always impressed by you, though." She laughed. "Yeah, I thought you would be able to do it, but not as fast as you did." Megan said, giving him a thumbs up. "Sometimes, I come home and I hear Nathan doing push-ups in our room, and he's saying '19, 20, 21...' And then right when I walk in he switches to '198, 199, 200.' It's cute." Haley laughed, pinching Nathan's cheek. Nathan frowned, "I don't do that..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "Sure, baby. Sure." Haley smiled at him, winking. Nathan kissed her quickly, before looking down at Lydia. "I can do 200 push-ups though, right Lydia?" He asked. Lydia nodded her head, "Yep! He's tough." Lydia said, poking Nathan's stomach. Nathan nodded his head, smirking slightly.

About an hour later, Deb and William walked through the door, carrying bags of groceries. "It really is raining out there." Deb said, glancing outside. "Yeah, I wouldn't recommend driving out there any more tonight unless its necessary. The clouds are dark." William said, shaking his head. The two began to make dinner, while everyone else talked in the living room. After awhile, they called everyone into the dining room. "Alright, everyone. Sit down, dig in." William said, sitting down. Nathan quickly sat down between Haley and Jamie, Lydia on Haley's other side. He quickly got some food, looking over at Lucas, who was sitting across from him. Lucas made a face at him, before laughing quietly. Peyton looked at him, shaking her head. "You two are children." She laughed, smiling. Nathan rested his hand on Haley's leg under the table, smirking slightly as she glanced at him. Every so often he would move his hand up a little further, usually while she was in the middle of a conversation, laughing quietly at the 'What the hell are you doing?' look she would give him. While Nathan was focused on Haley, Deb called out his name. "So Nathan?" Deb asked him, letting out a deep breath. Nathan's hand stilled, his gaze shifting to his mother. "I've been meaning to ask you something for awhile now, but I haven't gotten the chance." She began, glancing over at William. Nathan squeezed Haley's leg softly, tensing up slightly. "Would you walk me down the aisle?" Deb asked, the power shutting off immediately after, the whole house becoming dark.

 **Yeah so this was pretty long and kind of a useless chapter that I probably could of made into two chapters, but it's alright.**


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **To start off, thank you so much to**

 **thibbs65 for always leaving reviews on my chapters. It makes my day. I am planning on putting Brooke in it more, just so you know. Thank you!**

 **Thank you to everyone else that leaves reviews as well. Every review helps boost my self confidence. Thank you.**

 **Chapter 12**

Lucas groaned, shaking his head as the room went dark. "This is all Nathan and Haley's fault, I swear. Storms follow them around. Mother Nature is cursing all of us because Nathan just had to jump off that stupid bridge so they didn't get to go to London." He grumbled. Peyton kicked Lucas under the table, "Lucas, shut up." She mumbled, silencing him. The room sat quiet for a second, Nathan tapping his fork on his plate annoyingly, sitting there silently. "Well... I hope that silence is good." Deb said after a minute, glancing over at William. Haley looked over at Nathan, resting her hand on top of his. "Nathan, say something." She whispered to him. "It's getting a little uncomfortable in here." She squeezed his hand softly, glancing at Deb.

After another minute of silence, Nathan let out a deep breath. "Yeah. I can do that. Absolutely." He said, smiling slightly. Deb stood up, walking over to Nathan and hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Nathan." She said softly. Nathan nodded, "No problem." He smiled. "It's your day. It should be exactly how you want it." He said to her, pulling away from the hug. Deb sat back down next to William, letting out a deep breath. "Okay, well. It's dark. Now what?" Haley asked, laughing quietly. "Really? It's dark? I couldn't tell." Nicole grumble out sarcastically. Nathan stood up quickly, "You don't get to talk to her like that." He snapped. Haley pulled him back down quickly, letting out a small sigh. "Nathan, stop." She said quietly. "I'm not going to stop, Haley. You didn't do anything wrong." He whispered back. William cleared his throat, looking around the table, "Everyone, let's just calm down." He said softly. Haley grabbed Nathan's hand under the table, squeezing it to tell him to be quiet. Nathan nodded at her, sighing softly and sitting back a bit.

After another minute of silence, William stood up, sighing heavily. "Okay, well... I brought some candles so I'll go get them." He said quietly, hurrying away. Nathan cringed, shaking his head. "Oh, gross." He grumbled, kicking Lucas as he choked on his food from laughing. Haley nudged Nathan softly, shaking her head. Nathan sighed softly, looking down. "Sorry, I was thinking about something I saw last week?" He said with a questioning tone, glancing over at his wife. "It's not gross, Nathan. It's natural. I have you to prove it, and You have two children sitting by you to prove it." Deb informed him. Nathan looked over at her with wide eyes. "Nope, nope. Stop it." He said, shaking his head quickly, covering Jamie's ears. "I'm just saying, Nathan. You do it, why can't I?" She asked. "This can't be happening! Karen, say something to her." Nathan begged. Karen laughed quietly, "I'm afraid she's right." She shrugged. Lucas looked at Nathan, raising his eyebrows. "Yeah, I don't like where this is going." He grumbled. "Let's all stop talking about this." Nathan said quickly. "Stop talking about what? Sex?" Deb asked. Nathan covered his face, feeling Jamie shifting around uncomfortably next to him. "Uh, Dad. Can I be excused?" He asked quietly. "Yeah, go ahead." Nathan grumbled, Jamie hurrying away. "What's sex?" Lydia asked, looking at her mother. Haley looked over at Nathan, sighing loudly. "Mom! Look what you did!" He grumbled, glancing over at Lydia. "Oh! I'll explain it to her!" Megan said, smirking. "No, don't." Jordan said quickly, shaking her head. Nathan pressed his face into his hands, "I think I'd rather be in the rain." He muttered. "Speaking of sex." Peyton hummed, winking in Nathan and Haley's direction. "Okay, we're done. Your nine year old is sitting right next to you, so shut up." Nathan grumbled. Haley shook her head, sighing heavily. "Come on, guys. There are children at this table." She said, rubbing Nathan's back.

William came back down the stairs eventually, holding a bunch of candles. He set them all around the kitchen, lighting them quickly. "What did I miss?" He asked, sitting back down next to Deb. "You don't want to know." Nicole grumbled, shaking her head. "Lydia, why don't you go up to your room and get your pajamas on?" Haley suggested, smiling as her daughter stood up quickly, rushing up the stairs. "Sawyer, you too." Lucas said, nodding towards the stairs, Sawyer following after Lydia. "Nathan, you too." Nathan grumbled to himself, standing up. Haley laughed quietly, pulling him back down. "I don't think so, buddy. You're an adult." She laughed, kissing his cheek. Nathan sighed, leaning back in his chair, running his fingers through his hair. Lucas looked over at Nathan, "Breathe, little brother. It's all over now." He laughed, shaking his head. Nathan looked at him, rolling his eyes. "That was just terrible." He sighed softly, leaning forward a bit. Nathan tried to turn his attention back to the conversation that was happening, occasionally squeezing Haley's hand.

"Lucas and I will do the dishes. We can't run the dishwashers, so might as well hand wash." Karen offered for them, standing up. Lucas looked at her, sighing softly and nodding. "That's funny. How much power your parents still have over you guys. You're adults but you still let them boss you around." Megan teased them, grinning. "Hey, it is what it is. They took care of you for eighteen years, you owe it to them." Lucas shrugged. Nathan slid his arm around Haley's shoulders, leaning over and kissing her cheek, closing his eyes and sitting there for a second, sighing softly. He looked up when Peyton spoke, rubbing his hand down his face. "So, William, Deb. Two more days? Are you excited?" She asked, smiling at them. "Beyond excited." William said, smiling over at Deb. Deb nodded her head, returning the smile. "Okay, I'm done here. If you need me, I'll be in my room. But don't need me." Nicole said, standing up and walking up the stairs quickly. Jordan stood up, hurrying after her older sister. Megan waved her hand at them, "Meh, I'm not going to follow. Jordan can deal with Nicole's grumpiness." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. William sighed softly, glancing at Deb. Deb rubbed his back softly, sending him a sympathetic smile.

"So, honeymoon plans?" Peyton asked, leaning forward a bit. "No one at this table right now got a honeymoon, so you'd be the first." Peyton laughed quietly. "Um, we were just going to use this whole trip as a honeymoon. But then Haley offered to let our kids stay at their home while we continued the vacation, so now we're staying another week." Deb said, smiling slightly. Nathan looked over at Haley, scowling slightly. Haley avoided Nathan's eye contact, keeping her eyes on Peyton. Andy stood up slowly, "With that, I'm going to go see if they need any help." He laughed nervously, walking out. "Yeah, Deb. You and your family are welcome to stay whenever you want. But I feel like it it necessary for me to inform certain people at this table, that I will be gone from Tuesday until late Thursday night, or early Friday morning next week." Haley said, watching Peyton smirk slightly. "Doing what?" Nathan asked her, folding his arms. "I promised Mia I would finish out the last little bit of the tour with her. It's three days, Nathan. Megan will be there to help." She said, resting her hand on his arm. "Do it for your mother. She deserves the time away." Haley said softly. Nathan sighed heavily, looking down at the table quietly. "Oh, and we have a home picked out. Nathan, I would like you to go check it out next week and tell me what you think. Once we get back we're going to buy it." Deb said to him, smiling. "I might be a little busy with three extra people at my house. But whatever, I'll try." He grumbled out. "Just think, Nathan. It's really only two extra people because Haley will be leaving." Peyton added, laughing quietly. "You know what, Peyton. Your help is about the same as you are in bed. Not very good." Nathan snapped. "Nathan!" Haley scolded him, standing up, while Peyton started laughing loudly. "Yikes, Nate. What a low blow. Even for you that was weak." She said, shaking her head. Haley grabbed Nathan's shirt, pulling on it to make him stand up, before pulling him outside.

"Haley, it's raining and dark. I don't want to go outside, I only packed a limited amount of clothes." Nathan protested as Haley pulled him outside. "Don't go there with me. I packed your bag, Nathan. I know exactly what you have. You have enough clothes." She grumbled out. "Nathan, why can't you just keep your mouth shut when those thoughts come into your head?" Haley asked him, shaking her finger at him. "I swear, sometimes it's like you want me to get mad at you. I know that you were trying to get a jab at her, but things like that can hurt me too, Nathan!" She said, letting out a deep breath. Nathan shook his head at her, "That doesn't even make sense." He said. Haley looked at him, "Okay, I go up to Chris Keller and say: "Your advice is the same as your kissing, bad." What do you think of that?" She snapped to him. "That's not even fair, Haley. We were married when you kissed him!" He said in return. "And we were married when you kissed Carrie." Haley replied, sighing softly as Nathan's eyes darted to the ground. She stepped towards him, "We aren't going to do this. Bring up things we've already forgiven each other for just to tear each other down. We aren't that couple." Haley said softly, resting her hands on Nathan's cheeks, making him look at her. "My point is that your sexual history follows you around. Nicole has used it against your numerous times. All of my siblings use it against you. And doesn't it bother you when they bring up Taylor?" Haley asked him, rubbing her thumbs over his cheek bones. Nathan nodded his head, closing his eyes. "It bothers me a lot." She said softly. "I'm sorry." He said softly, resting his hands on her waist. "I didn't think before I said it, you're right. I was just trying to hurt Peyton, I didn't even think about hurting you. You're the most important person in the world, Haley. I never want to hurt you." Nathan said softly, kissing her quickly. Haley kissed him for a second, before pulling back. "We better go back inside. Other wise they'll make jokes about us and the rain." She laughed. "Wait. Why didn't you tell me about them staying? And you leaving?" Nathan asked her, scowling slightly. Haley sighed, sliding her hands down his chest, letting them rest on his sides. "Because I knew you would find a way out of it. You would go to Europe and get kidnapped to get out of it." Haley shrugged, looking up at him. Nathan pressed a kiss to her forehead, sighing softly. "I don't want to deal with them without you. I need my sidekick. Can't you put on your superhero costume and stay?" Nathan laughed quietly, winking at her. "I told Mia a couple of weeks ago that I would do it. Sorry, baby." Haley laughed, "Mastermind will just have to help when she gets back. Also, you're going to have to take it to Brooke and get it changed because I'm not pregnant." She laughed. "Oh, I will." Nathan smirked, shaking his head. "But you know that I'm going to let Jamie have everything back, right?" He asked, looking up at the dark sky. "Oh yeah, I know. Always need to be the fun parent." Haley said, nodding at him. "Hey Mastermind, don't sweat it. He doesn't know that you're secretly a superhero. Actually, he does but maybe he doesn't remember." Nathan laughed loudly. "Yeah, I don't like this conversation anymore. I don't like it when you call me Mastermind. That was five years ago, and Brooke talked me into it." Haley shook her head, grabbing Nathan's hand. "Let's go inside." She mumbled, shaking her head and pulling him into the house once again.

Nathan let out a deep breath, pushing his fingers through his wet hair. "I love being out in the rain with you, Haley James. But I'm not enjoying it so much right now." He said, hugging her tightly to him. "Looks like I'm going to go change for the third time today. Water is stupid." He grumbled. Haley laughed, following him up the stairs. "Okay, I'm going to shower because I don't think we'll be doing anything else today besides sitting in the dark and talking." She said, grabbing onto his hand. Nathan nodded at her, "Alright. I wish that I could join you, but sadly I don't think this is a good time." He laughed, kissing her knuckles softly. "Never stopped you before." Haley winked at him, laughing quietly and grabbing her suitcase. "Just kidding. I'll see you in a little bit." She hummed, heading out.

Nathan changed into dry sweatpants and a t-shirt, heading back down the stairs. He looked around the living room, seeing Lucas, Peyton, Megan, Deb, William, Karen, and Andy all sitting on the couches, each of them holding a glass of wine in their hands. Nathan let out a deep breath, sitting down next to Megan, looking around the room. William held the bottle of wine out to Nathan, who shook his head. "Not right now, thank you though. I'm sure Haley would like some when she comes back downstairs." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "So, Nathan... We thought we would update you a little more about next week. We enrolled Nicole and Jordan into the schools in Tree Hill." Deb said, looking over at William. "How are they taking that?" He asked, frowning. "Jordan is fine, and well... Nicole doesn't have a choice." William said, letting out a deep breath. Megan leaned over, "She doesn't have a choice because she got expelled from her last school." She whispered to him. Nathan nodded his head slowly, "Yeah, okay. So are they starting on Monday?" He asked, shifting slightly. "Yeah, we've sort of talked to Haley about this. But since she's leaving on Tuesday, we figured we better talk to you too. Megan will be there, but still." William said, nodding at him. Nathan sighed softly, glancing over at Lucas. "Okay, sounds good. I mean, we can handle them for three days without Haley, right?" He said, shifting his gaze to Megan. Megan laughed quietly, "Oh man, we'll see." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "So, something that I feel like needs to be addressed. Nicole." William began, letting out a small sigh. "Megan knows what to do with her for the most part, but it may be easiest if you just..." He trailed off, looking towards Megan. "Don't talk to her." Megan shrugged, looking over at Nathan. "Not exactly what I was going to say, but that works. If she talks to you, then go ahead and respond." William said, chuckling quietly. "Yeah, okay. I'll just drop her off and pick her up from school. Jamie and her seem to get along alright, so I'll let him do the talking." Nathan said, sighing softly. "We really appreciate this, Nathan." Deb said to him, smiling slightly. "We're just piling three people on you for a week. Thank you for doing this." She nodded. Nathan looked at her, "Yeah, sure. It's fine." He mumbled, leaning back against the couch, closing his eyes.

Nathan's eyes blinked open when he felt someone sit on the ground in front of him, a head resting on his knees. He looked down at his wife, smiling slightly. "Hey beautiful." He said softly. Haley looked up at him and smiled, winking subtly at him. "Hey Hales. You could of sat by me, you know." Lucas said, motioning towards the empty spot next to him. "Yeah, I suppose so. But look at his face and tell me you wouldn't want to sit by him?" Haley laughed, leaning her head back to look up at Nathan. Lucas looked over, studying his brother for a second, before saying, "No, I don't want to sit by him. Come sit by me. We've been friends for over 20 years, so that should be cuter than his face." Lucas laughed. Haley stood up, "Fair enough. Sorry baby." She said, ruffling Nathan's hair, before taking a seat next to Lucas. "Wait. Megan can move." Nathan complained. Megan laughed quietly, shaking her head. "No way, man. You move." She said, smirking at him. Haley laughed quietly, resting her head on Lucas' shoulder. Lucas wrapped his arms around both Haley and Peyton. "My two favorite girls." He said, smirking over at Nathan. Nathan shook his head, sighing softly. "Sorry Nate. I had her first." Lucas laughed quietly. "Yeah, well. I have a response to that but I'm not going to say it. But it would annoy you." Nathan grumbled, sitting back against the couch again. Deb and Karen both started laughing, "You two haven't changed a bit. Still fighting over nothing." Karen said, smiling at them. "Except I guess your fights used to be a lot more serious." Deb added, shrugging. "Yeah, we stopped fighting when Lucas realized I could kick his ass." Nathan said, shrugging. "Nathan, you can't kick my ass." Lucas said. "You wanna bet?" He asked, looking over at his brother. Lucas raised his eyebrows, "I'll give you a hundred dollars if you can beat me." He said in return. Nathan stood up, "Alright. Come at me, big brother." He smirked. Lucas stood up as well, "You're going down, little brother." He said in return. Peyton stood up in between them, shaking her head. "No. Bad idea. Sit down." She laughed. "Yeah, at least wait until after the wedding." Andy said, laughing quietly. Karen elbowed Andy softly, shaking her head. Lucas laughed quietly, looking over at Nathan. "Just remember I whooped your ass this morning on the beach, Nathan." He said, smirking. Nathan rolled his eyes, "Yeah, whatever. In your dreams." He laughed, sitting back down and smiling. Lucas sat down as well, shaking his head, returning his arms to around Peyton and Haley's shoulders.

"I hate time zones, y'know?" William said, rubbing his eyes. "I want to stay down here and chat with you all, but boy am I tired." He grumbled. "Yeah, I was just thinking that." Haley laughed, looking over at him. Deb looked over at Haley, then at William. "Why don't we go to bed? It's getting late here anyways." She suggested, standing up. William nodded his head, standing up as well. He nodded at everyone, before heading up the stairs. "Goodnight, everyone. We'll see you in the morning." Deb smiled, following him. Karen and Andy stood up next, "Yeah, I think we better head to bed as well." Karen said, walking over to Lucas and hugging him tightly. "We'll see you guys in the morning." She hummed, heading up the stairs with Andy. "And then there were five. Don't cut out on this party yet, you guys." Megan laughed, elbowing Nathan. Nathan shook his head, "Get a little more wine in Haley and she'll talk for hours." He said, laughing quietly. Haley shook her head, rolling her eyes. "That's not true, but I could use a little more." She laughed, smiling over at Nathan. "But I better cut myself off soon. I don't want any type of hang over in Hawaii. Big or small." She hummed. "Oh come on, Hales. Let party Haley out." Peyton laughed, looking over at her. Haley shook her head, "No way. I want to enjoy the sun, not hate it." She laughed, "Maybe a different day. Maybe the night of the wedding." She hummed out, rolling her eyes a bit. "Haley does crazy things at every wedding but ours." Nathan laughed, winking over at his wife. "That's because at your own wedding, you did enough crazy things to last for a long time." Peyton laughed. Haley nodded her head, "Valid point." She said, laughing quietly at her husband. "I didn't do anything at Brooke's wedding either, so..." She shrugged her shoulders. Nathan laughed, "Except in the car ride home, you started sobbing uncontrollably because you just love Brooke Davis so much, and Jamie gave such an amazing speech. And because Julian's dad danced with Brooke because her dad didn't show up. I mean, that's crazy enough." He laughed. "I was pregnant!" Haley protested, shaking her head. "It was still crazy. I was so confused." He shrugged his shoulders, smiling over at her. Haley smiled in return, rolling her eyes at him.

"So, Haley. What can I expect from Nathan next week?" Megan asked, looking over at her soon to be step sister in law. "Well, he most likely won't run off to Chicago in the middle of the night, but that's always an option." Haley said, elbowing Lucas a little bit. "No, he does great with the kids. He wakes up to his alarm most of the time, but if I'm awake I'll probably call him just to make sure." She said, looking at Megan. "Sometimes he forces me to stay up until like two in the morning and watch him play video games. And I'm not exaggerating when I say that. He literally forces me. It happens about once a month. It's crazy." Haley laughed. "Oh I know that. The worst is when him and Lucas and playing online or whatever and they have those stupid headset things on to talk to each other instead of just calling each other. And they just scream at each other the whole time." Peyton laughed. Haley nodded her head, scowling at Lucas. "Yeah, you guys suck." She laughed. "I do not force you to stay. I bribe you into staying. And sometimes I put my arm around you and hold the controller so you're locked in. But that's besides the point." Nathan laughed, shaking his head. "Okay, we kind of went off on a tangent there. I'll make sure he doesn't force you to do that." Haley said, looking at Megan. Megan laughed quietly, nodding her head. "Alright." She hummed. "Nathan can probably pick them all up from school, but some days he travels to towns around Tree Hill." Haley said, looking over at Nathan. "I won't do that next week. I'll just stay at the office or at home." He said, sighing softly. Megan nodded her head, "Anything else?" She asked. "No, not really. I think that Nathan should be able to take over being Mom and Dad for a few days. He's done it before." Haley laughed. Nathan nodded his head, "I prefer the term super dad when it happens. Lydia is more willing to call me it than Jamie is." He laughed, smiling brightly.

After a few more minutes of talking, Megan stood up. "Alright guys, this has been fun but I'm exhausted. I'll see you guys in the morning. Hopefully the power will be back on and the weather will be nice enough to go swimming. Last one up has to blow out all the sex candles." She laughed, smiling at them and heading up the stairs. Haley stood up, hurrying over and taking her seat on the couch, leaning into Nathan's side. "Oh so now you want me?" He laughed, shaking his head. Haley looked at him, pulling his face down and kissing him deeply. "Oh, baby. I'll always choose you before Lucas." She said, laughing. Lucas shook his head, "Not true, Hales. We had news but we're not going to tell you now." He pouted, looking over at Peyton. Haley turned towards Lucas and Peyton quickly. "No. Tell me the news." She laughed. Peyton nodded at Lucas, smiling slightly. "We're going to move back to Tree Hill." He said, grinning over at them. "Luke! That's awesome, man." Nathan said, smiling brightly. "I know, we're very excited." He smiled. Haley stood up, walking over to Lucas, pulling him up to his feet. She hugged him tightly, pressing her face into his shoulder. "I've missed you." She whispered, squeezing him tightly. Lucas laughed, hugging her in return. "I've missed my best friend more than you will ever know, Hales." He said, smiling down at her. Nathan and Peyton both stood up. He walked over and gave her a small hug. "Tree Hill hasn't been the same without you guys. We've been waiting like seven years for this to happen." He laughed, smiling down at her. "Sorry, Scott. It was nice to get away though, that's for sure." Peyton laughed, nodding up at him. Nathan pulled away, Haley soon taking his place in hugging Peyton. "This will be great! Brooke will be so excited, and you can come back to Redbedroom!" Haley said, grinning at her. Nathan laughed, walking over to Lucas and hugging him quickly. "This is going to be awesome, man. Chicago every weekend." He laughed, smirking slightly. "Maybe your wife can talk mine into letting that happen." Lucas laughed. "First you have to use your best friend magic and talk her into it." Nathan laughed in return. Haley looked over at them, shaking her head. "There's not a chance." She laughed. "Yeah, same here. You dipshits scared the hell out of us." Peyton said, punching Lucas in the shoulder. "On that note, we're going to bed." Lucas laughed, rubbing his arm. "We'll see you guys tomorrow. Nate, wake up early and we'll go on a run. I don't want to drag you out of bed like I did this morning." He said, slapping his younger brother's shoulder. Nathan grinned at him, nodding. "Alright man. I'll see you in the morning." He said. Lucas grabbed onto Peyton's hand, pulling her up the stairs.

Haley sat back down on the couch, pulling Nathan down next to her. "So, Nathan. What do you say we go outside and make use of all this rain?" She teased him. "Oh, that's not fair." Nathan laughed, shaking his head. "I wish. But you had your chance earlier. You missed it." He grinned at her, resting his forehead on her head for a second. Haley laughed, leaning close to him. "So what do you think about the whole walking your mom down the aisle thing?" She asked, looking at him. "Yeah, I don't know. I think it will be kind of cool, I guess." Nathan shrugged his shoulders. "I know that you aren't totally on board with this wedding, especially since we haven't even known the guy for a month, but your mom seems happy." Haley said to him, running her fingers through his hair. Nathan nodded, smiling at her. "Yeah, she does seem happy. I just wish that his kids wouldn't drive me insane." He laughed. "Megan and you seem to be getting along." Haley said, shrugging. "Yeah, she's okay. The other two freak me out. One is always snappy and one doesn't talk enough and it's kind of weird." He laughed. "Oh come on, maybe she's just shy." Haley laughed, kissing his chin. "Yeah, maybe. It's not like I'm really trying to talk to her anyways." Nathan sighed, closing his eyes.

After a few minutes, he stood up. "Okay, Haley James. Let's go upstairs. I'm tired." He mumbled. "You go ahead, baby. I'll go blow out all of the candles." She smiled, standing up. "You sure? I can help." Nathan said, grabbing onto her hand. "Yeah. Go on." Haley laughed, nodding towards the stairs. Nathan nodded slowly, kissing her quickly before hurrying up the stairs. Haley walked around the dark house, blowing out all of the candles, and heading up the stairs. She checked on Jamie and Lydia, before heading into the bathroom and getting ready for bed. Haley headed into their room a few minutes later, laughing quietly when she found Nathan asleep, sprawled out all over the bed. She picked her phone up, taking a picture of him quickly. Nathan stirred a little bit from the noise the picture made, "Hey you dork. Come to bed." He grumbled. Haley laughed, kissing him quickly, before climbing into bed next to him, pushing him over a little bit. Nathan wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close to him, before they both fell asleep with small smiles on their faces.

 **Okay, so about halfway through writing this chapter, I realized that I totally forgot about Lily. So we're just going to say that she couldn't come and is staying with a friend.**


	13. Chapter 13

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **So I also realize that I never gave William a last name (or I think I didn't) so I'm just going to give it to him right now: Andrews.**

 **Also I had this chapter almost totally finished but then I decided to start over, yikes. I changed my mind about Lily thanks to a review, and decided that she would be arriving with Brooke's family, because some of you wanted Brooke to be in it more. Thank you for the reviews!**

 **Chapter 13**

The next few days came and went, and now finally it was the day of the wedding. The morning had started a little hectic, Jamie had run into Nathan and Haley's room, waking them up quickly because they had both overslept. William and Deb had already left with Karen, Andy, Megan, Nicole, Jordan, and Sawyer, while the everyone else was scrambling to get ready. Nathan was running around the house with messy wet hair, his shirt unbuttoned, and his tie hanging around his shoulders. "Haley! Haley! I can't find my tie!" He yelled out, hurrying into their room and digging through his suitcase. Haley hurried into the room, putting her earrings in. "Nathan." She laughed, looking at him and raising her eyebrows. "You need some serious help." She said, walking over to him, tugging on his tie. "You have it on. Now finish up and go do your hair. I have to go make sure Lydia and Jamie are ready." Haley smiled at him, rubbing his arms softly. "Everything would be so much easier if they would of decided to get married on the beach down there, instead of one that's a ten minute drive." He grumbled. "William took me and Megan there yesterday, and it's beautiful." Haley smiled at him, kissing him quickly. "Calm down, Nathan. And just finish getting ready. We have to leave soon, and I can tell that Lucas is getting impatient." She laughed. Nathan nodded, grumbling under his breath, quickly buttoning up his shirt. Haley laughed quietly, hurrying out of the room to finish getting Lydia ready.

About fifteen minutes later, everyone was out the door and in the car. Nathan was bouncing his leg up and down quickly, glancing at his children in the back seat. "Okay." He let out a deep breath, staring down at his hands in his lap, twiddling his thumbs. Haley rested her hand on Nathan's knee to stop it from bouncing. "Nathan, breathe. It's not a huge deal. You just walk her to William, then stand next to her and avoid eye contact with Nicole because you'll give her a nasty look." She laughed, squeezing his leg. Nathan let out a deep breath to calm his nerves, closing his eyes. "At least your bruise is gone. I had to cover Jamie's up a little bit." Haley said, turning Nathan's head to look at his jaw, before resting her hand on his leg once again because it had started to bounce. Lucas glanced back at Nathan, "Come on, Nate. It's not hard. I walked my mom down the aisle when she married Andy, you remember that." He said, shrugging. Nathan nodded slowly, letting out another deep breath. Peyton laughed quietly, "You're so nervous. I don't know if I've ever seen you this nervous. Ever." She hummed, "Okay, well that's not true. After the state championships and Haley got hit by a car, you were a wreck." She added. "Thanks, Peyton. You're words touch my heart." Nathan grumbled out sarcastically. Haley laughed quietly, "Nathan, look at me." She said, smiling as her husband's eyes flicked to hers. "You're going to be fine. This is not determining the fate of the wedding. You're just walking her to William, then standing up there next to her. Megan and Nicole and Jordan will be standing up there too. Don't worry about it." She whispered. Nathan nodded slowly, squeezing his eyes shut. "You look handsome, though. Is it allowed to look better than the groom?" Haley chuckled, winking at him, tugging on his gray suit jacket. "I can't help it that I'm a show stopper." Nathan smirked, kissing her quickly. "The only wedding I've been to where I haven't looked better than the groom was ours." He said, shrugging. Haley squeezed his leg, nodding her head. "Right you are, honey. Right you are." She laughed. Peyton looked back at them, rubbing Lucas's arm softly. "I beg to differ. Lucas looked very nice at our wedding." She smiled. Lucas grinned over at her, "I looked pretty damn good at your wedding too, Nathan." He shrugged his shoulders. Haley reached forward, punching Lucas in the shoulder. "Language, Luke. Children in the back." She said, shaking her head. "Yeah, Luke. Come on." Nathan laughed, before glancing out the window as the car pulled to a stop, his breath catching in his throat. "I think I'm going to be sick." He grumbled, closing his eyes tightly. "Nathan, come on. You'll be fine. I'll be right there." Haley said softly, getting out of the car and helping Lydia out. Nathan let out a deep sigh, climbing out. "Now let's do a quick check." Haley said, looking at Jamie, fixing his hair and little bit, rubbing some lint off of his jacket's shoulders. "Okay, you're good. Go with Lucas." She said, pointing him to his uncle. She looked at Lydia, wiping some of her breakfast off her face. "You too. Go with Uncle Lucas and Aunt Peyton." She smiled, kissing Lydia's head. "And now the train wreck of the group." Haley laughed, turning towards her husband. She straightened out his tie a little bit, taking a step back to look at him. "Checking me out, James?" Nathan laughed, smirking at her. "I always am." Haley replied, stepping up to him, licking her thumb and wiping some lipstick off of the corner of his mouth. Nathan laughed quietly, "Really?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows. "Oh I'm a mother, it's an instinct. I'm sorry if you don't like me licking my finger and touching your face." She said, rolling her eyes. Nathan laughed, wrapping his arm around Haley's shoulders. "It's fine. You look beautiful." He smiled at her, the two of them heading over to where Megan was standing. "Okay, where's my mom?" Nathan asked, letting out a deep breath. "Karen is just helping her finish getting ready. Go stand outside her tent and she'll let you know when she's ready." Megan said, pointing over. Nathan hugged Haley quickly, before hurrying off in that direction.

"Sorry we woke up late." Haley laughed, shaking her head. "Everything looks great. Where's your dad?" She asked. "Oh he's just finishing up. He should be out shortly." Megan said, smiling. "I'm supposed to show you guys where to sit. Almost everyone else that was flying in this morning is here, and the rest should be arriving shortly." She hummed, motioning for everyone to follow her. "Okay, so we decided that since you guys all know Deb better, you'll sit on the side Deb is standing. Haley, there's a spot for you and your children in the front row next to Nathan's grandparents." Megan shrugged. "Nathan's grandparents?" Haley asked. She raised her eyebrows, looking over and seeing that it was Dan's parents sitting in the front row. She let out a deep breath, grabbing onto Lydia's hand and nodding. Haley headed over to them, smiling politely. "Haley!" Mae said, standing up quickly and hugging her. "It's great to see you guys again." Haley said, nodding at Mae, then at Royal. "Haley." Royal said, standing up slowly. "Hello, Royal. You guys remember our daughter Lydia, and our son Jamie, right?" She asked. Jamie shook Royal's hand and hugged Mae, while Lydia his behind Haley's legs a little bit, keeping her head down. "Of course we do!" Mae said, waving at Lydia, who waved back shyly. Haley sat down next to them slowly, Lydia sitting between her and Jamie. She stood up for a second to go tell Lucas about Royal and Mae, when she heard a familiar voice behind her. "Any limos here?" Cooper asked. Haley whipped around quickly, laughing sarcastically. "Oh you better hope that there aren't, Cooper." She said, hugging him. "C'mon, you aren't still mad about that?" He laughed. "You better believe it. Where are you sitting?" She asked him. "Right up front next to your son. I'm going to tell him about his father's racing days. Or day, I should say." Cooper laughed. Haley shoved him softly, "Go sit down." She said, shaking her head. Haley quickly went over to Lucas to tell him, Peyton, and Andy about Royal and Mae, before hurrying back to her seat, only pausing for a moment to talk to Brooke and Julian, who had sat behind Lucas and Peyton, and to wave at Lily. She looked around as more people began to file in on both sides of the chairs. There was not many people there, but there was probably at least fifteen on each side so far.

"Where's grandma?" She asked, looking up at her mother. "She'll be here soon." Haley said, smiling down at Lydia. William walked over to them, smiling brightly. Haley stood up quickly, hugging him. "William! You look great. This all looks great." She smiled. "Thank you. I'm so pleased with the way everything turned out. But we have an issue." He said, biting his lip and looking at Haley. "What's wrong?" She asked, frowning. "So, the piano player got sick. I was on my way to go tell Deb, and Nathan was outside. He pointed me in your direction." William chuckled nervously. "Oh he did, did he?" Haley asked, sighing softly. "Alright. Yeah. I can do that." She said, smiling. William smiled brightly, "Oh thank you so much, Haley. Okay. Come on. The piano music is on the stand." He said. Haley nodded, "Okay, Lyds. Looks like I have to go play the piano. Be good. Don't give anyone any trouble." She said, smiling at her. Lydia nodded, "Have fun, Mommy." She grinned. "Good luck, Mom." Jamie added, nodding at her. Haley nodded, hurrying over to the piano that was off to the side. "This must of been a pain in the ass to get here." She chuckled. "Oh believe me, it cost a pretty penny to have someone move it all the way down here. But it will be worth it. Good luck." William said, hugging her quickly before moving to stand at the end of the aisle next to the minister, letting out a deep breath

A few minutes later, Jordan stepped up to the pathway of flowers, and William nodded at Haley. Haley started to play the piano while Jordan headed down the aisle. Following Jordan was Nicole, and then Megan. Finally, Deb and Nathan stepped up. Nathan mouthed a small "sorry" towards Haley, who smiled and shook her head. He slowly led his mother to the end of the aisle, hugging her, before stepping off to her side. Lydia waved up at him and he grinned, nodding at her. Haley stopped playing the piano, quickly hurrying around to sit by Royal, because everyone had scooted down one seat, waving over at Lydia.

"Friends, family. We are gathered here today to celebrate the love of these two people; William Jonathan Andrews, and Deborah Lee Scott. As per their request, we will keep it short and simple. Your vows, please." The minister said, smiling at William. William nodded his head slowly, letting out a deep breath. "There has always been something that has drawn my attention to you, ever since the first day I met you. You caught my eye the second you walked into the room of that boring work party. The funny thing was, this is something that not a lot of other people know, you were on a date. I wasn't even considering dating anyone until I saw you. You had a certain look to you, and I just had to know who you were." William said softly, smiling at Deb. "You've brought so much joy into my life, and I still learn something new about you every day. I can't wait to continue learning about you and your family, and growing with you for the rest of my life." William grinned at her. "And now you, Deborah." The minister said, nodding at her. "William, I've spent so much of my life unhappier than I needed to be. I've seen many trials, and much heartache. I wasn't sure what it really felt like to love someone until I met you. You are the one that I want to wake up to every morning, and fall asleep to at night. I am so grateful for your integrity, and your strong willed personality, and your big heart. You have made me happier in the past few months than I've been in my whole entire life. Thank you so much. I can't wait to get to know you, and your family better. I can't wait for the happiness we will see in the future." Deb said, smiling at him.

"William, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To promise to honor, and love, and protect her for the rest of your life?" The minister asked. William smiled at Deb. "I do." He said softly, sliding a ring onto her finger. "Deborah, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To promise to honor, and love, and protect him for the rest of your life?" The minister asked Deb. Deb nodded her head, "I do." Deb said, sliding the ring onto his finger and smiling at him. "By the power vested in me by the state of Hawaii, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride." He said. William and Deb quickly kissed, while everyone else started clapping. "Okay, we would like to take some photos." William said. "There are tables and chairs and food being set but down on the beach by our house, but we would really like the group shots to be taken here, in front of the alter. Then we will head back. Be prepared for lot of pictures." Deb laughed, grabbing Williams's hand, turning and thanking the minister.

After taking several different pictures, Deb and William made Nathan, Megan, Nicole, and Jordan stay there to take more for about another half hour, before they headed back to the house. Nathan climbed out of the car slowly, after Nicole had forced him to be crammed in the back seat with Jordan. He stretched out his legs, letting out a deep breath. He hurried over to his mother, hugging her tightly. "Congratulations, Mom." He said softly, smiling. Deb laughed, hugging him back. "Sweetie, that is like the tenth time you've done that. Thank you though." She laughed. Nathan nodded his head, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I know... I'm just happy for you. And you look beautiful." He smiled at her, shrugging her shoulders. He nodded at William. "You better stick to your vows man, I used to be in the NBA. I'm not scared of you." Nathan said, smiling at him. William nodded, "Oh, I plan on it. I'm glad that Deb has someone like you to look out for her though." He said, shaking Nathan's hand. Nathan nodded, before hurrying down to the beach to find his wife. He found her sitting at a table, Jamie on one side of her and Lydia on the other. He watched her from a few feet back as she tried to force Lydia to eat some vegetables. "Come on Lydia, Jamie likes to eat his vegetables." She said, nodding at her son. "Gross. No." Jamie said, shaking his head. "It's weird, isn't it?" Karen said, stepping next to Nathan. "That your son is all grown up. It's crazy to see Lily as a teenager. She acts a lot like Keith sometimes." She said, sighing softly. Nathan nodded his head, "Yeah. Jamie got into a fight last week. It's weird." He looked over at her. "I didn't expect Royal and Mae to come to this." Nathan said softly, smiling over at Haley. "I know, I was pretty surprised when I saw them. To be honest, I'm avoiding them a little bit. I'm not sure what to say. I've never known what to say." Karen laughed. Nathan nodded at her, "I'm sure Royal would take it easy on Lily. Maybe be a little harsh on Andy. Jamie is kind of scared of him, I think. Lydia is terrified." He laughed. "Lucas gets really awkward about it too. He's in the house right now with Peyton, trying to figure out what to do. I think he should just wait to see if they make the first move." Karen said, nodding her head. Nathan looked over at his grandparents, sighing softly. "The fact that they are here should say something, right?" He asked, looking over. Karen nodded, "Maybe they're trying. Honestly, I've always like Royal and Mae. But since Keith died I've avoided them. I should stop, though. I can't imagine what they're going through." Karen said softly. Nathan nodded, looking over at Haley once again, who was now trying to get both Jamie, and Lydia to eat their vegetables.

After another minute, Nathan watched as Cooper stood up and started clapping. He looked over and saw his mother and William walking into the party, waving at the guests. Nathan watched as Haley looked over at them, then looked around until her eyes met Nathan's. She motioned for him to come over, smiling slightly. Nathan walked over there, leaning down an kissing her quickly. "Hey. Can you get them to eat their vegetables? I want to go talk to Brooke." She laughed. Nathan nodded his head, taking her seat quickly. "Okay guys, here's the plan. Eat one, and then I'll let you throw the rest of them away." He laughed. "Hey, I'll take that." Jamie laughed, quickly eating one. Lydia nodded her head, eating one as well. "Okay, go play with Sawyer. But stay away from the water." He said, pointing Lydia in her direction. "Come on, Jame. Let's go talk to people." Nathan said, standing up. Jamie stood up, following his father over to Cooper. "Uncle Cooper!" Nathan grinned, hugging him quickly. "Oh hey nephew! Looking studly out there walking your mom down the aisle. Very nice." He grinned. Nathan shrugged, "Yeah, it's all natural." He laughed, resting his hand on Jamie's shoulder. "Hey Jamie. It was good talking to you today at the wedding." Cooper nodded. Jamie nodded in return, "Yeah. That was awesome." He laughed. "Where's the family?" Nathan asked Cooper, looking around. "Ah, they couldn't come. But it's okay." Cooper said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Nathan! Come over here! There's someone I want you to meet." Nathan heard his mother's voice call out, sighing softly. "Well, Jamie. Stay here and talk to Cooper for awhile. And Cooper, don't get me in trouble." Nathan laughed, heading over to his Mom. "This is William's brother, Jared. Jared, this is my son, Nathan." She said, smiling. Nathan shook Jared's hand, "Hey man, how's it going?" He asked. "I'm doing well. I mean, I just got a free trip to Hawaii, and oh. My brother got married too." Jared laughed. "I've been to one of your games before, when you were in college actually. Small world." He laughed. Nathan nodded his head, "That's pretty cool. I hope I played well." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "Oh you did great. I was not surprised when I heard you were in the NBA." Jared chuckled, nodding at Nathan. Nathan smiled, "Yeah, it took awhile for me to get there, though." He said, glancing over at his mother. Deb smiled at him in return, nodding her head. "William's sister is just over here, why don't you come say hello to her?" She suggested. "I will in a little bit. I'm going to go talk to Lucas really quickly." Nathan said, smiling at his mother, before hurrying off towards the house.

Nathan walked inside slowly, finding Lucas sitting on the couch with Peyton. "Hey Luke. Your mom is worried about you. Peyton, can you give us a minute? Haley and Brooke are down there." He suggested, nodding towards the door. Peyton nodded slowly, heading outside. Nathan slowly sat next to Lucas, sitting in silence for a minute. "You know, Lucas. You don't have to talk to them. They're your grandparents, but you don't owe them anything. They haven't done anything for you." Nathan began, resting his hand on his brother's shoulder. "I mean, they gave you Keith. But they also gave you Dan. So if you want to say 'to hell with them, they didn't do shit for me' then I will support that, and talk to them the whole entire night just so you don't have to. But maybe they're going to try, because I think they regret it." He said softly. "You don't need to stay up here and stress. There are so many people down there who will support you. Haley and I can tag team talking to them if you want." He chuckled. Lucas looked over at him and smiled slightly, "You're a good brother, Nate. You know that?" He said, sighing softly. "But you don't need to do it. I'm not going to try to talk to them, but if they speak to me then I will respond." Lucas decided, standing up. Nathan stood up, bumping his fist against his brother's. "Okay, big brother. Let's get out there. I'm starving." Nathan hummed. Lucas nodded, heading outside with him and back down to where the party was.

Nathan quickly got food, sitting down at a table next to Lucas. A few minutes later, Peyton, Haley, Brooke, and Julian joined them. Haley looked over at Nathan, smiling brightly. "Did you guys see how sexy my husband was walking down the aisle? Damn." Haley laughed, winking at Nathan. "Real show stopper, Nate. I was on the edge of my seat wondering if you would bring back your boy toy auction dance moves. Or maybe your stripper dance moves." Peyton laughed, smirking at him. "Oh, I would of paid money to go back in time to when you and Skillz were strippers." Lucas laughed, wrapping his arm around Peyton's chair. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. Your wife still bet over a hundred dollars on me in the boy toy auction." Nathan laughed, scooting his chair closer to Haley's. "Major throwback, Nathan." Brooke laughed, grabbing onto Julian's hand. "Haley begged me to buy you, Nathan. So don't act like you're all that." Peyton said, shaking her head. Nathan shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. She just wanted to buy me after she saw my dance moves. But she'd already bought the worse Scott." He laughed, kissing Haley's cheek. "Oh please, we had blast until I saw Haley's tramp stamp." Lucas smirked over at Haley. Haley rolled her eyes, "You guys are children. It's just a tattoo. You have some too, Lucas. And one of yours matches Brooke's, so I wouldn't be talking." She said, shaking her head. "Mine is on my arm though." Lucas shrugged. "Yeah, but Brooke's isn't." Peyton added, looking over at Brooke. "Okay, we've established that Haley and I were sluts in high school." Brooke teased. "I was not a slut. I was married." Haley said, shaking her head. "You've got the tramp stamp to prove it, Hales." Brooke said, shaking her head. "Hey, back off guys. I like her tramp stamp." Nathan laughed. Haley hit his chest softly, "Not helping, Nathan." She said, shaking her head. Nathan smirked at her, kissing her head softly. "It's not called a tramp stamp in this case because she was a virgin when she got it. So come up with a better name." He shrugged. Haley shook her head, rolling her eyes. "It's not even for you anymore, Nathan. You changed your jersey number." Haley said, shrugging. "Hey, hey, hey. Woah there. It is for me. My number will always be 23." Nathan shook his head, winking at her. "I'm going to have to agree with him there. I've known Nathan longer than anyone at this table, and he has been 23 for longer than he has been 12." Brooke said, giving Nathan a thumbs up. "Thanks Brooke." Nathan laughed, grabbing onto Haley's hand.

Everyone looked up when they heard Megan's voice over a microphone. "So, I'm going to keep this short. Deb, thank you for coming into my dad's life. I've seen the way he's changed. He has a certain bounce to his step now, and he almost always seems happy. I'm grateful for the joy you've brought him. I also can't wait to learn more about you. Thank you for bringing all of these wonderful people into our lives. This is two families joining together into one. There is nothing better than this. So on that note. Thank you Deb." Megan smiled, setting the microphone down and sitting down next to her sisters.

"Do I have to make a speech?" Nathan asked the table quietly, looking around at each person. "Dude, you probably should. She's your mom." Julian said, looking over at Deb and William. "I didn't think I would have to. I didn't prepare anything." Nathan said, groaning softly. "Nathan, you married the human school. Use her." Brooke laughed. Nathan turned to Haley, who shook her head. "Nathan, I can't. This has to come from your heart if you're going to do it, not mine." She said, shrugging. Nathan sighed softly, "Come on, you're my tutor. Help me out." He said, nudging her. "Nathan, I never did assignments for you. I helped you. But this one I think you should do on your own. You don't have to do it, after all, and your mom will be able to tell if it came from me." Haley laughed, kissing him quickly.

A few minutes later, Cooper got up to the microphone. "So, we didn't really have a DJ or whatever, so my sister just asked me to step in and announce stuff. For their first dance as a married couple, Mr. and Mrs. Andrews." Cooper said, motioning to the center as music started to play and Deb and William stood up. Everyone stood up, clapping softly. They moved to the middle and began to dance. Everyone sat back down, watching them. Haley smiled brightly at her mother-in-law, before glancing at Nathan. "Look at how happy she looks. It's nice." She said softly, looping her arm through her husband's. Nathan nodded his head, "Yeah. She does look happy." He said, smiling slightly.

After the song ended, Cooper stood back up. "Okay, we have a treat for you all. We now would like to call the bride and her son up for a dance." He said, waving Nathan over. Nathan looked at Haley, groaning softly. "Dammit." He mumbled, standing up and heading over to meet his mother. Nathan sighed softly once the music started to play, beginning to dance with his mother slowly. "Sorry for springing this on you, Nathan. I knew you wouldn't like it." Deb laughed, smiling up at him. "Yeah, yeah. It's your wedding. It's fine." Nathan said, sighing softly. "Thanks for avoiding Nicole today. William told her to avoid you as well. I don't know what her problem is with you." Deb sighed softly, shaking her head. "Yeah, it's whatever. She can deal with it." Nathan shrugged his shoulders, glancing over at Haley. "You look beautiful, Mom. And happy." He said softly, smiling down at his mother. Deb smiled in return, "Thank you, Nathan. Thank you for coming, and thank you for welcoming us into your home. I know it's been a little tough. But thank you." She said. "Oh, you owe it all to Haley. I just do whatever she thinks is the best thing for me to do." Nathan nodded, laughing quietly. "I owe a lot to Haley, I suppose. Don't I?" Deb said, smiling over at her daughter in law. "Everyone owes a lot to Haley. She makes every life she touches better." He said, looking over at his wife again and winking. "She made you the man you are today. Because with your father and me parenting you, you were not on the right track." Deb said softly. "She saved me. Saved me from being a jackass." He said softly, sighing contently, focusing on Haley for another minute, kind of zoning out a bit. His mother's voice brought him back to reality. "What did you say?" Nathan asked her, laughing quietly. "I said that it's weird how against you I was when you two got married. I always liked her, but that was a huge bomb to drop." Deb laughed, shrugging. "Yeah, you were mad. But I think back to it, and I realize that Jamie is thirteen, that would be him and three years. I'm sure we would act the same." Nathan laughed. "Do you think that if you would of continued dating Peyton, that I would of been you two that got married in high school?" Deb asked him. Nathan looked over at Peyton, before looking at Haley again. "Not a chance. I don't think I would of ever gotten married if it wasn't for Haley." He said, smiling and nodding at his wife. "She's the best thing that ever happened to me, y'know?" Nathan said softly, looking down at his mom. "If that's how you and William feel about each other, don't let anything ever stand in the way of that. Don't let Nicole's snarky personality, or my temper stand in the way of it, Mom. I know I haven't been the most supportive in this, but I'm really happy for you. Know that." He said, smiling at her. Deb hugged him tightly, nodding her head. "Thank you, Nathan." She said softly, smiling. Nathan nodded, looking around once the song ended. "Well, I hate that you just made me do that. But I'll forgive you since it is your wedding." He laughed, hugging his mother again before returning to his seat.

"What were you two talking about?" Haley asked, laughing quietly. "Yeah man, you were staring at Haley like you were about to shoot a free throw that could make or break the game." Lucas laughed, shaking his head. "I was just talking about how much I love you." Nathan said, smiling at his wife. Haley raised her eyebrows, smiling at him and kissing him quickly. Nathan smirked, glancing over at the rest of the table. "That's how you do it, boys. Take notes." He said, wrapping his arm around Haley's shoulders. "I would, Nate. But I left my pen and paper in Tree Hill." Julian said, rolling his eyes. Nathan opened his mouth, looking over when he felt someone tap his shoulder. "Hey brother." Megan said, grinning at him. "Wanna dance?" She asked. "Oh man... I don't know." Nathan trailed off, looking at Haley. Haley pushed Nathan a little bit, laughing. "Go on." She said. Nathan sighed heavily, standing up, grumbling user his breath as Megan pulled on his arm. He began to dance with her slowly, letting out a deep sigh. "Oh come on, Nathan. I'm not that bad." Megan laughed quietly. "Yeah, I don't like dancing." He grumbled. Megan shook her head, "I don't care. You're my brother now, so you have to do what I say." She laughed. "Step brother." Nathan corrected her, shrugging. "Yeah, whatever. I have to have picture proof that I've danced with Nathan Scott." Megan teased him. "Don't start that. Then everyone will be lined up." Nathan laughed, shaking his head. They danced for about two songs, before Nathan called it quits, hurrying over to Haley, who was talking to Karen. "Hey you. Do I finally get you for five minutes?" Haley laughed, wrapping her arm around Nathan's waist, squeezing his side. Nathan laughed quietly, "I hope so. We'll see though." He laughed, kissing her cheek. Karen smiled at them, "Thank you, Nathan, for talking to Lucas." She said, nodding in the direction of Lucas and Peyton, who were talking to Mae and Royal right now. "Yeah, of course." Nathan smiled at Karen, looking down when he felt Lydia tug on his suit jacket. "Daddy, come dance with me." She said softly. Nathan looked at Haley, nodding his head slowly. "Go on, I was thinking I was going to see if Jamie wanted to dance." Haley smiled, kissing Nathan's cheek. Nathan nodded at her, "I guess I'll see you on the dance floor." He said, smiling at her. Nathan lifted up Lydia, setting her down on his feet and walking over to where he was previously standing, beginning to dance with his daughter.

After several dances, he walked over to where Cooper was standing. "Hey man, do you mind if I...?" Nathan trailed off, rubbing his neck and gesturing to the microphone. Cooper nodded quickly, handing Nathan the mic. "When I was sixteen, I met a girl. I met her in the most... Excuse my language, but it was the most jackass way. I won't get into it, but if you have questions you can talk to me about it later. But she was the love of my life. She believed in me, and made me into a better person. I'm not going to reveal her name, but she's still the love of my life, and still makes me a better person every day." Nathan laughed, looking over at Haley. "Long story short, I married her when we turned sixteen. And no one believed that it would work out. But here we are nearly fifteen years later." He said. "Anyways, that's not the point. The point is, that we didn't give up. There were times when things got hard, and it would been so much easier just to give up. But we fought for us. I base my marriage on five things. William, Mom. Pay attention." Nathan chuckled. He held up one finger, "One. And William, this is an important one. The phrase 'yes dear' make sure to remember that." He said, nodding at his step father, looking over at Haley, who rolled her eyes. "Two, time. Make sure to always have time for each other. This one can get difficult, especially with a high demanding job. Whether it be a quick trip to the store, or going out to dinner or one vacation, time is very important." Nathan smiled at Haley. "Three. This one might be stupid, and everyone says it, but to true. Don't go to bed angry. It will happen sometimes, but I know that when it happens to us, I sleep terribly. It's just always better to deal with your problems, and then go to sleep." He said, looking over at Deb. "Four. Put your family first. I know that this family just got bigger. But there is nothing better than coming home to a happy house, and seeing your kids after a long day. Making sure you have enough time with your kids really helps make a marriage happy." Nathan said softly, his gaze shifting to Lydia and Jamie, winking at them. "And the fifth one. Love." Nathan began, his eyes moving back to meet Haley's. "Don't ever forget to love each other. This is so, so important. Because the world is crazy, and life is hectic. When things get too hard, you can lean upon love, and each other. When things get to be too much, never forget that the other person is there to be your support. To protect you when you're scared, and to make sure you're always okay. If things start to get dark, love will grab you out of that darkness, and pull you into the light." He said, letting out a deep breath. "So when you feel so alone, just remember that you never are. Good luck to you both. William, thank you for making my mother happy. I hope that you continue to do so for the rest of your life." Nathan said, handing the microphone back to Cooper, walking over to hug his mother tightly. He shook William's hand, nodding at him.

Nathan began to walk over to Haley, before being cut off by a crying Brooke, who was pulling Julian behind her. "Nathan!" She cried out, hugging him tightly. "That was beautiful." Brooke cry-laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "Sorry, she's had a lot of wine. It's been awhile since we've been away from the kids, and she misses them already." Julian laughed, "Nice speech, man." He said, nodding at him. "Hey, thanks. I came up with that on the spot, so not too shabby." Nathan laughed. Julian nodded, "Maybe I really should start taking notes." He said, laughing quietly. Nathan laughed, "Yeah, you should. Hey, I'll see you guys later." He said, patting Julian on the shoulder. Nathan walked over to Haley quickly. Haley grabbed his tie, pulling him to her, kissing him. Nathan kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her. Haley pulled away after a second, smiling up at him, flattening her hands over his jacket. "That was beautiful, Nathan." She said softly. "You're beautiful." Nathan whispered, resting his head on hers. Haley blushed, smiling at him. "You did that all on your own. Good job, buddy." She laughed. Nathan nodded his head, "Came up with it all on the spot too." He said, tugging on his tie softly, loosening it and grinning. "You left out the phrase 'Whatever you want honey.' Though, so..." Haley laughed, kissing him once more. "Do you think you have some time to dance with me?" She asked, leaning into him. Nathan looked her up and down, "Hm..." He began, shaking his head. "Please?" Haley said, batting her eyelashes at him, winking. "I hate dancing, Haley. You know that." He grumbled. "You said that you would do whatever I wanted until the wedding." She laughed, brushing her fingers through the hair on the sides of his head. "The wedding is over, Hales." Nathan pointed out, shrugging. "Look. Lucas is dancing with Peyton, Brooke is dancing with Julian." Haley said, resting her hands on his chest. "Fine." Nathan grumbled, sighing as she pulled him by his tie next to Brooke and Julian.

Nathan rested his hands on her waist, pulling her close to him. Haley wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers softly playing with the hair on the back of his head, smiling up at him. "My question for you is why do you always want to dance? The only wedding you didn't want to dance at was Brooke's because you were pregnant." Nathan grumbled. "I was pregnant at our wedding and I wanted to dance with you. You wanted to dance with me too." Haley pointed out, shrugging. "My bad, you were ready to pop at Brooke's wedding." He said, pulling her closer to him. Haley smiled up at him, kissing him once again. Nathan pulled away after a second, letting out a small sigh. "What's wrong?" She asked him, smoothing her fingers over the back of his neck, dipping them underneath his shirt collar. Nathan looked down at her, "Nothing. I just wish that you weren't leaving me all next week." He laughed. Haley smiled up at him, "Sorry, baby. I wish I could fix it." She shrugged. "Yeah, well there's something I have to tell you about now." Nathan said, pulling her closer to him. "Next Thursday, I have to go a bunch of different colleges. And when I say a bunch, I mean a different state every day. I'll be gone until Tuesday." He said, sighing. "Clay and I just talked about it yesterday." Nathan mumbled. Haley sighed softly, looking up at him and frowning. "Okay, so we won't see each other for a week. That sucks." She said, looking down. "Yeah. So Megan will just have to be responsible for them on Thursday. I can't drop them off at school, but then I have to go." He shrugged. "Why can't this wait another day?" Haley asked him. "Because the basketball season is starting soon. And we haven't been working for the past three weeks." Nathan shrugged his shoulders. Haley sighed softly, kissing his cheek. "It's alright. We've been apart longer that than before." Nathan said, smiling at her. He leaned down to kiss her again, when Haley felt someone tap her shoulder, turning her head. "Can I cut in?" Nicole asked, a fake smile plastered onto her face. Haley looked up at Nathan, raising her eyebrows. "I suppose so." She said, squeezing Nathan's bicep, before stepping away, heading back over to talk to people.

Nathan looked at Nicole, frowning slightly. "What do you need?" He asked. "Oh, I'm just preparing you." She smirked, shrugging. "For what exactly?" He grumbled out, glancing over at Haley. "For next week. I've been holding back because my dad was around." Nicole informed him. Nathan rolled his eyes, "You interrupted me and my wife for that? Please. I've been holding back because my wife and mother are around. I was doing the whole 'world owes me everything' thing before you. Remember that." He said, shaking his head, glancing over towards his mother who gave him a thumbs up. He waved at her, smiling. "We'll just have to wait and see how this plays out then, hm?" She smirked, patting his face, not hard enough to be considered a slap, but it certainly was not friendly. Nathan rolled his eyes, "Yeah, whatever." He said, shaking his head.

They finished the dance in silence, before separating quickly. Nathan headed over to his brother and grandparents, who were still in a conversation. Throughout the whole rest of the night, Nathan had decided to stick with Lucas, only leaving him for a few minutes to dance with Lydia and talk to more of William's family, before he would head back to his brother's side. After awhile, Nathan stood with Lucas, talking to him and Peyton. He felt two arms wrap around his waist, and a head rest on his shoulder from behind. "Hey handsome. I think it's time to put the kids to bed. People are starting to leave." Haley said softly, nuzzling her face into his shoulder blade, sucking in deep breath. Nathan glanced over his shoulder at her, smiling brightly. "Yeah, I'll go do that. Why don't you go say goodbye to Brooke? I'm pretty sure she's making Julian fly home with her tonight because she misses the boys. I don't know why, they're train wrecks." He laughed. Haley pinched his sides, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck. "Alright. Tell Jamie that he can't stay up too late. We have an early flight tomorrow." She said, nodding at Lucas and Peyton. "Oh, and Nathan. Remember that your mother isn't going to be with us tonight, her and William are heading to the hotel as soon as everyone leaves. So say goodbye to her." Haley said, hugging him tightly, before heading off towards Brooke. "That was gross." Lucas laughed, shaking his head. "We know what's going to be happening in your bedroom tonight." Peyton added, winking at him. "Haha. I wish. She's still pissed about the whole Chicago thing." Nathan said, shaking his head. "Okay, I have to go find my kids. You two have fun, and don't miss me too much. Don't let anyone who I need to say goodbye to leave without me saying goodbye." He said, rushing away.

About twenty minutes later, Nathan headed back outside, walking over to Royal and Mae. "Hey. It was nice to see you guys again. It's been awhile." He said, giving his grandmother a quick hug. Royal shook Nathan's hand, "It's good to see you, boy. It's nice to see that you've turned out better than your father." He grumbled out. Nathan sighed softly, nodding his head. "Yeah, well I definitely owe my wife for that one." He laughed quietly. Mae smiled, "And your children, they're so cute. You two really have a beautiful family." She said, nodding. Nathan smiled, "Yeah, they're great." He said softly. Mae hugged him again, "Well, we'll be going. It was very nice to see you. Your mother looks very happy." She said, smiling at him. Nathan nodded, waving at them and letting out a deep breath. He stood there until they got into a car and drove away.

Nathan walked over to where Haley was standing, talking to Brooke. "Hey." He hummed, draping his arm around her shoulders. "There is nothing worse than sand in your shoes." Julian informed Nathan, laughing quietly. "Sand in your eyes?" Nathan suggested, raising his eyebrows. "That's what your wife said." Julian grumbled, shaking his head. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me." Nathan laughed, shrugging his shoulders. "Come on, Julian. We have to go." Brooke reminded him, tugging on his jacket. "Brooke, what's the deal with the whole missing the kids so much?" Nathan laughed. "Don't you guys miss your kids when you're away from them?" She asked, looking over at Nathan and Haley. Nathan looked down at Haley for a second, "Depends on how long we're gone." He laughed. "Okay, that's no necessarily true, we always miss them. But Brooke, you're in Hawaii." Haley said, gesturing around her. "Yeah, I'm sure that Julian had a nice night planned." Nathan added. Brooke looked up at Julian, "Do you want to stay?" She asked him. Julian shrugged his shoulders, "I'm alright with whatever you want." He replied, smiling. "Okay, fine. Let's go to our hotel, and then we'll go home tomorrow." Brooke sighed, hugging Haley. "I'll see you soon. We better go find Peyton and Lucas before we leave." She said, hugging Nathan, before pulling Julian away.

Nathan turned to Haley, who was taking off her heels. "Do you want to come day goodbye to my mother with me?" He asked, taking the shoes from her hand. "Sure." Haley smiled up at him, resting her head on his shoulder while they walked over to Deb and William. "Hey. We've given Megan all of the plane tickets and stuff." William said, nodding at the pair. "Alright. Well... We just wanted to say goodbye." Nathan said, hugging his mother. "You looked great, mom. I'm happy for you." He said, smiling. Deb nodded, "Thank you, Nathan. And thank you for letting everyone stay at your home, the past couple weeks and this coming week." She smiled. Nathan nodded, moving over to talk to William while Haley hugged Deb. "Thanks for pointing me in Haley's direction today with the piano. I don't know what I would have done." William laughed, shaking Nathan's hand. "Of course. I mean, I would of offered myself but Haley's patience and my desire ended after twinkle twinkle little star." Nathan laughed, glancing over at his wife. "Well. Take care of my mom, I mean it. She's been through a lot. We'll see you next.. Saturday?" Nathan asked, raising his eyebrows. William nodded, "Yep. Then we'll be out of your hair and into our house." He said, looking over at Deb. "Alright. Well, congratulations. Have a good trip." Nathan said, waving at them as they got into the car.

Haley squeezing Nathan's side, leaning up and kissing his cheek. "I still wish we had a honeymoon." She laughed, her eyes scanning the few people that were still there until she found Cooper. "We did. Just a couple years later." Nathan reminded her. Haley laughed, looking up at him. "Come on, Hales. Would you really change any of that?" He asked her. "As a matter of fact, I would change it. You almost died, and that still scares me inside." She informed him. Nathan laughed, kissing her quickly. "I'm still here, don't worry. For now, at least." He smirked. Haley shook her head, "That is so not funny, Nathan. I worry about you." She said, sighing softly. Nathan smiled down at her, hugging her close to him. "I worry about you too." He said softly. "Let's go say goodbye to everyone else so we can go to bed." She said softly, kissing his cheek.

After another half hour, the two of them were finally laying in bed, cuddling up next to each other, Nathan leaning back against the backboard, reading a book, with Haley's head rested on his chest, gently tracing designs on his stomach. "Hey, Hales? What does this word mean?" He asked her, pointing at the word. Haley looked for a second, before pulling his book from his hands and tossing it onto the bed. "Let's go skinny dipping." She said. Nathan raised his eyebrows, "What? I mean... Yes. But what?" He laughed. "I thought you would love the opportunity to nerd out on me. But, hey. This works too." He smirked. Haley stood up, glancing out the window. "Everyone is gone, all the decorations are cleaned up. That's impressive." She said softly. "Come on." She said, hurrying out of the room, Nathan rushing behind her.

About another hour and a half later, after skinny dipping, and a shower, they were back in bed, staring up at the ceiling. "You're crazy, Haley James." Nathan laughed, smiling down at her, kissing her head that was rested in his chest. Haley glanced up at him, "Crazy for you, Nathan Scott." She laughed. Nathan grinned, "That was cheesy. I love you." He said softly. "I love you too, baby. You did well today. And you look damn sexy in a suit." Haley said, smiling up at him. "You did good too, Mrs. Piano player." He said, rubbing her back lightly. Haley smiled, nuzzling her face into his chest, closing her eyes. She was almost asleep when Nathan started to speak. "I guess I'm not grounded anymore, huh?" He asked her, smirking. Haley laughed quietly, looking up at him. "I guess not. Just don't do it again and we won't have a problem." She said, kissing him quickly. Nathan nodded, hugging her close to him and falling asleep.


	14. Chapter 14

div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"strongI do not own One Tree Hill./strong/div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"strong /strong/div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"strongOkay so I had started this chapter: and then I came up with a different idea so I started over. I need to stop doing that haha./strong/div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"strong /strong/div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"strongChapter 14/strong/div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"The flight home on Sunday went rather smoothly, and everyone went to bed as soon as they had returned to Tree Hill. Nathan and Haley were woken up Monday morning from Lydia jumping onto their bed. "Pst... Daddy?" She whispered to him, sitting on his stomach, slapping his face softly. "Hm?" Nathan grumbled out. "Jamie told me to come wake you two up because school." She said softly, pulling his eyes open. "Oh sh-" Nathan began, feeling Haley elbow him in the side. "Oh, darn it. Let's get going. Chop chop. Clothes on, meet in the kitchen in five minutes." He said, lifting Lydia off of himself and setting her on the ground, getting out of bed quickly. "But first, do me a favor and go wake up Nicole and Jordan? I'll make sure to sneak some hohos into your lunch." Nathan whispered, winking at her. Lydia nodded, and ran off quickly. He looked over at Haley, smiling at her. "Hey you. Get up." He said, standing up and stretching. Nathan walked into the bathroom, brushing his teeth before heading down the stairs./div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"He found Jamie sitting at the bar, eating some cereal and reading an article from a magazine. Nathan glanced down at it, seeing himself with a woman, as well as another picture of himself with Haley. "Hey. Don't read that crap." He said, taking the magazine, rolling it up and tapping Jamie on the head with it. "How're you feeling?" Nathan asked his son, throwing the magazine away. "I'm tired, and totally not ready for all of the homework I'm going to have to do this week." Jamie grumbled, rubbing his eyes. "At least you have your mom's genes, you'll get it done easy." Nathan laughed, shrugging. Jamie nodded his head, looking down at his cereal. "So how are things going with Madison?" Nathan asked after a couple minutes, smirking. Jamie choked, looking around the room quickly. "Dad! Mom has ears like a hawk." He said, shaking his head. "Jamie, come on. She's all the way upstairs. Probably fell back asleep." Nathan laughed, looking over as Lydia came barreling down the stairs, Jordan and Haley following behind her. Jamie gave Nathan an 'I told you so' look, before turning his attention back to his cereal. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);""Okay, Jame. Jordan is going to need your help today. Show her where stuff is, let her sit with you at lunch. And please, please don't introduce her to Chuck. Make him sit with someone else." Nathan laughed, shrugging his shoulders. Jamie nodded his head, "Got it, Got it, and don't got it. Chuck isn't on good terms with anyone in the school right now, it's a long story." He laughed. "One that we don't want to know." Haley said, pouring Lydia and Jordan some cereal. Nathan nodded in agreement, glancing over at Haley. "Eat fast, Lydia. We got up a little late today so we have to go do your hair." Haley said, smiling at her. "I can do it." Nathan said, shrugging. "Honey..." Haley trailed off as Jamie started laughing. "What? I have to do it for the res of the week." He shrugged. "Don't worry about it, Nathan. Megan assured me that she would do it." Haley said, resting her hand on his bicep. "Why? I can do it." Nathan grumbled out. Haley looked at him, raising her eyebrows. "Nathan, I let you do her hair when she didn't go to school. But now that she does, it's better that you let me do it." She said softly. Nathan sighed softly, rolling his eyes. "Fine, yeah. You're right." He mumbled out. Haley laughed quietly, kissing his cheek, looking over at Nicole as she walked in. "Hey. So I got you guys the essentials to get you through a school day, but let me know if you need me to go to the store before I leave tomorrow." Haley said to her, nodding. Nicole looked at her, sighing softly. "Yeah, okay." She said, looking at Jordan, who nodded. "Okay good. Now, Nathan. We are throwing Quinn and Clay a party to congratulate them on the baby. It's going to be here, so I need you to come home at lunch and help me clean. You guys are all welcome to attend the party, but you don't have to since you don't really know them." She said, turning her gaze to Nathan, then back to everyone else. "What? Why didn't you tell me about this?" He raised his eyebrows. "I talked to you about it the whole plane ride yesterday, baby. This one is on you." Haley laughed, rubbing Nathan's back. "I'm done!" Lydia said, smiling at Haley. She walked over quickly, picking up Lydia and walking up the stairs. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"Nicole looked over at Nathan, shaking her head. "Come on, Natey. Why don't you pay attention to your wife?" She asked. "Don't call me that." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head. "Hey, have fun at school today." He added, smirking. "Have fun not being in the NBA." Nicole said, shrugging. Jamie looked up at Nathan, raising his eyebrows. Nathan let out a deep breath, pushing his fingers through his hair, looking over at Jamie and shrugging. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"About a half hour later, Nathan and Haley had piled everyone besides Megan into the car, and were on their way to school. "Okay, so Jordan, just stick with Jamie. He has a friend named Madison who's very nice and I think you'll get alone with her well." Nathan said, glancing at Jordan in the rear-view mirror. He pulled into the round about at the middle school, looking back at them. "Jamie, be good. No fighting." He hummed, waving at his son. "Oh man, Dad. You're so funny. You just crack me up." Jamie said sarcastically, smiling at him and getting out of the car. "Have a good day, Jordan. Call us if you need anything." Haley added, waving at her. Nathan nodded his head as Jordan got out of the car. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"Nathan then drove to Tree Hill High, glancing over at Nicole. "This is you." Haley began, smiling at her. "Do you need help finding anything?" She asked. Nicole shook her head, rolling her eyes. "No, I'm good." She grumbled out. "Well, a word of advice. If teachers ask, tell them about Haley and not me. But if students ask, tell them about me." Nathan smirked, shrugging his shoulder. Haley shook her head, "You'll do great. Call us if you need anything." She said, smiling at Nicole. Nicole nodded, getting out of the car and sighing softly. The couple watched as she headed into the high school. "Do you think she'll be okay?" Haley asked Nathan. "Oh come on, Haley. She'll be fine. If anyone messes with her she's B-I-T-C-H-Y enough to handle herself." Nathan laughed, glancing back at Lydia. Haley shook her head, rolling her eyes and laughing quietly. "Okay, Lyds. Looks like it's your turn, kiddo. Let's get moving." Haley said, smiling at her, hitting Nathan's leg softly. Nathan rolled his eyes, and began to drive towards the elementary school. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"After a few minutes, they arrived out front. "Here we are. Goodbye, beautiful. Have a good day at school." Nathan said, looking over at Lydia and smiling. Lydia waved at him, "Bye Daddy. Have a good day working and cleaning." She said, giggling. He shook his head, laughing quietly. Haley got out and walked to the side of the car, helping Lydia out. "I'm going to take her inside, Nathan. I'll be right back." She said, zipping up Lydia's jacket a little more, grabbing onto her hand and heading into the school. After a short conversation with Lydia's teacher, Haley hurried back outside, getting into the car quickly. She rolled her eyes when she saw her husband faking asleep in the front seat. "Nathan, I know that you're faking." She laughed, squeezing his arm softly. "How did you know?" Nathan asked her, frowning. "I wasn't born yesterday." Haley said, shaking her head. "Okay, I came to the conclusion that I'm going to drop you off at work, then bring you some lunch. Then, after that; you're coming home with me to help clean the house." She said, looking at him. "It's already clean enough. We've been gone for a week." Nathan said, sighing. "No, it's not. Clay's your best friend, just do it for him." Haley said, kissing his cheek. Nathan nodded his head, beginning to drive over to his and Clay's office building. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"After a few minutes of driving, they pulled into his assigned parking spot. "Do you want to come in for some coffee?" Nathan asked his wife, smiling at her. "No, I'm going to breakfast with Megan. Thank you though." Haley replied, getting out of the car. Nathan got out as well, meeting his wife halfway around the car. "I'll see you at noon?" He asked, glancing at the time on his phone. "11:30. Have a good day." Haley said, smiling at him, walking over to the driver's door. Nathan grabbed her hand, pulling her over and kissing her softly. "11:30 it is. I love you." He said, smiling at her and pulling the door open. Haley nodded at him, "I love you too, Nathan." She said, getting into the car. She waved at him, smiling and blowing him a kiss before pulling out of the parking lot and heading home. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"Haley walked into the house, looking around. "Megan?" She called out. "Yeah, just a second! I'm almost ready. Hawaii time messed me up." Megan called out. "It's alright. I need to finish getting ready anyways." Haley replied, hurrying upstairs and into her room to finish getting ready for the day. After about another hour, the two were in the car. "Okay, so I thought we would go to Karen's Cafe, just to make sure Brooke isn't drowning. I've kind of abandoned her the past couple weeks. Plus, I think that the food is better there." Haley laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "Yeah, that sounds good." Megan nodded her head. They drove to the cafe, having small conversation about nothing along the way. Haley got out quickly, seeing a couple cars out front. She walked into the cafe, waving at Brooke, who was behind the counter. "Hey Brooke, you remember Megan right?" Haley said, smiling. "Oh yeah, of course. Drank a lot of tequila. Then fell asleep while I was hugging her goodbye." Brooke laughed, nodding at Megan. "Yep, that's usually how events with me end." Megan laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "Well what can I get for you today?" Brooke asked them, grinning. "I'll just have the special." Haley said, nodding. "But with no-" "Onions, I know Haley. I know." Brooke laughed, winking at her. "What about you, boozey?" She laughed, looking over at Megan. "Oh please don't let that nickname stick. I'll have the same." Megan said, nodding. "Okay, two specials coming right up. Your total is... Zero dollars. Would you look at that? It's almost like you co-own this restaurant. But that can't be right because you haven't been here in years?" Brooke teased Haley, laughing quietly. "I know, I know. I've been busy. And I'll be back soon, I promise." Haley said, shaking her head. "I'm just kidding, Hales. I know. Take all the time you need, there's no rush." Brooke said, smiling. "You're a great person, Brooke Davis." Haley laughed. "I kind of am." Brooke agreed. "Now, go sit down." She said. Haley nodded, sitting down with Megan. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);""Okay, so. I have a question. Am I the only one that saw Nicole and Nathan dancing? Was I imagining things or did you see it too?" Megan asked about half way through breakfast, laughing quietly. Haley shook her head, "Oh no, I definitely saw it. She cut in while I was dancing with him." She laughed. "What happened? It did not look friendly at all." Megan asked her. "I have no idea. Nathan didn't talk about it much. But it was weird." Haley said, shrugging her shoulders. "I bet she was warning him about this week. I'd tell him to watch his back. He says the wrong thing and it will become a war." Megan laughed. "I'll do my best to protect him, though." She said. Haley nodded her head, "I appreciate that. She really doesn't like him." She laughed quietly, running her fingers through her hair. "I know, but she doesn't like anyone. She barely tolerates Jordan and me. She has her moments where she can be nice though." Megan said, nodding her head. "I hope that I eventually see one. She doesn't seem to mind Jamie or Lydia very much, though. So maybe she'll be nice to them." Haley shrugged. "She likes Lucas. Maybe you married the wrong brother?" Megan laughed. "Oh, I don't know about that..." Haley trailed off. Brooke stopped as she walked by. "She got the right one. Nathan may be younger, but Haley got the bigger brother." She smirked, winking at Haley. "What does that- Oh." Megan started laughing. "Nice, Haley. Nice." She said, smirking slightly. Haley's cheeks turned red and she shook her head, "Brooke, really?" She laughed, sighing softly. "Yes, really. I mean I have seen both-" Brooke began. "Not what I meant." Haley said, shaking her head. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I'll get back to work now, boss." Brooke teased her, shrugging and walking away. "Brooke Davis." Haley said, sighing and shaking her head. "That's funny stuff right there." Megan laughed, shrugging. "She's crazy. But I love her." Haley shrugged her shoulders. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"After a little while, Haley and Megan stood up to leave. Haley looked over at Brooke, waving at her. "Bye Brooke! I'll be back because I'm picking up Nathan some lunch. But I'll see you tonight at Quinn and Clay's party?" She asked. Brooke nodded her head, "Yeah, of course." She smiled, walking over and hugging Haley, then hugging Megan. "See you two later. Have a good day, and make good choices." She said, nodding at them before hurrying back behind the counter. Haley smiled, heading out to the car. "This was fun. But now I have to go home and start cleaning. You're welcome to explore around town though. You can take my car if you want, just please be careful." Haley laughed, looking over at Megan. "I'll just take my dad's car for today, but I may take you up on that offer sometime." Megan said, smiling. Haley nodded her head, "You should. It's a fun car." She said, smiling. Megan nodded, "Yeah, just riding around in it with you that one time was cool." She agreed. "Yeah, I'm boring when I drive though. Nathan likes to go fast, and make sharp turns and stuff like that, but I can't take it." Haley laughed. After a few minutes they arrived at home, getting out of the car quickly. "Okay, so where's a good place to scope out the guys?" Megan laughed, sitting down at the bar. "I thought you had a boyfriend?" Haley laughed. Megan waved her hand, "Meh. I'm just looking, just in case that doesn't work out." She shrugged. Haley chuckled quietly, "Well, I got married before I really discovered any of those places." She laughed. "Oh, damn. I forgot." Megan laughed quietly. "No, it's okay. I won't be scoping out guys yet." She said, sighing softly. "If you want to talk about it, go ahead. I'm all ears." Haley said, smiling at her. "There's just some things that drive me crazy. He said he wants me to move in with him, but he won't kick his roommate out." Megan sighed, "How the hell did you get a guy to commit to you when you were like four years old? I mean, that is how old you and Nathan were, right?" She laughed. Haley laughed quietly, "Something like that. I'm sure you know that when Nathan started dating me, it was just him trying to mess with Lucas, yes?" She said. Megan nodded her head, "So we weren't just instantly in love. I couldn't stand him at first. I was just doing it so he would leave Lucas alone. It took time." Haley shrugged. "It's been a year, and he won't kick his stupid, annoying, stay up until four in the morning blasting my video games louder than anything else and yell at the TV, messy roommate." Megan said, leaning back. "How did you even do it?" She asked. "Oh, it wasn't my idea. It was Nathan's idea to get married. I thought he was crazy." Haley said, shrugging her shoulders and laughing. "How did you know he was the one?" Megan asked her. "You know... I could just feel it. I always wanted to be with him every second, and not in a clingy way. I just wanted to be near him. His presence comforted me in ways no one ever had. Just by being around him I felt like I was safe, and at home. I felt like I knew him so well in such a short time period because he had been a jerk turned nice. He had opened up to me, and I was just so in love. When I wasn't with him, I was thinking about him. He made me feel spontaneous, and special. He made me feel like I was important, and he still does every day. He still makes my heart race. He sill makes me smile and laugh all of the time. When he winks at me I still melt inside, and I won't even get started on that stupid little smirk he has. I just knew it." Haley said, smiling slightly. Megan nodded her head slowly, "Does it take time? To know?" She asked. Haley nodded her head, "Yeah. Like I said, I hated Nathan at first. Lucas and Peyton danced around each other for years before they finally made it work. Lucas almost got married to someone else. Not everyone is as lucky as us. So yes, it can take time. I'm sure you just need to talk to him." Haley said softly. Megan nodded her head, letting out a deep breath. "Well, I've got to get to cleaning. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you." She said, smiling at her and hurrying off./div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"At around eleven, Haley left the house to go pick up Nathan's food. Megan had been gone a few hours so she just wrote her a note. Haley had pulled into the parking lot at about 11:32, hurrying into the office building. She saw Clay's assistant, Tami, sitting in the front office, and waved. "Just go ahead and go back there, Haley. Elizabeth is with him but I don't think it's important." She said, smiling at her. Haley nodded, heading back to Nathan's office, knocking on the door and walking in. "You're late." Nathan smirked from his chair, standing up slowly. Elizabeth stood up from where she was leaning on Nathan's desk, smiling at her. "Hi Haley." She said, waving. "Hello, Elizabeth." Haley said, sighing softly. "I'll leave you to it." Elizabeth said, resting her hand on Nathan's shoulder for a second, before heading towards the door. "Oh, Elizabeth! Really fast. Please don't forget to call him. I need to talk with him as soon as possible." Nathan said, nodding at her. She nodded, rushing out. "Haley James, why are you here so late?" He teased her, walking over to her, kissing her cheek. "Because I was bringing you lunch. But I can gladly take it back." Haley said, walking past him and sitting down in the chair in front of his desk. "What's wrong?" Nathan asked her, frowning. "Nothing." She said softly, setting his food down. Nathan raised his eyebrows, sitting down in his chair and beginning to eat, glancing at Haley who was angrily stabbing her salad. "You look nice?" Nathan tried, frowning at her. "Thank you." She said, sighing softly. He frowned, shaking his head. After a moment of silence, Haley looked up at him. "When you and Clay were looking for assistants, did you just hire the prettiest girls you could find?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows. Nathan's looked up, her question totally catching him off guard. "Uh, I tried to but you already have a billion other jobs." He said slowly. Haley sighed softly, resting her elbows on his desk and leaning forward. "She's just flirting with you." She said softly. "She doesn't flirt with me, Haley." Nathan argued. Haley stood up, walking around his desk and leaning on it. Nathan looked up at her, raising his eyebrows. "What?" He asked. "What do you notice when I'm sitting like this?" Haley asked him. "Or when you're sitting there, and I lean over to type something on your computer?" She asked him, leaning over. Nathan sighed softly, "I don't know what you want me to say." He laughed, looking at her. "To me it looks like you're just trying to type something onto my computer. C'mon, baby. You're the only one I have eyes for." He reassured her, raising his eyebrows. "It's not you I'm worried about, Nathan. Women have a history of making up things about you. It's all over the news right now, and Carrie made up that you were in love with her." Haley said, shrugging and leaning on his desk. Nathan rested his hand on top of hers, smiling. "Haley James Scott, are you jealous?" He asked her, smirking slightly and looking down at his food. "I'm not jealous, Nathan. I'm annoyed." She said, moving so she was standing behind Nathan's chair, wrapping his arms around his neck. "I was just telling Megan how in love I am with you, and I come here and try to find some twenty-five year old trying to take my place as Mrs. Scott." Haley hummed, rubbing her hands up and down his torso. "Twenty-nine, actually. But that's besides the point. You don't have to worry about it, Hales. I talk about you all of the time." Nathan reassured her once again, looking up at her. Haley sighed softly, kissing his head before moving to sit in the seat on the opposite side of the desk. "What have you been up to since I saw you... Four hours ago?" Nathan asked her, smiling. "I went to breakfast with Megan then came home and started cleaning." Haley said, smiling at him. "And then we get to go home and do more cleaning. Damn babies." Nathan joked, shaking his head. Elizabeth poked her head in, "Mr. Scott, you have a call on line 2." She said. Nathan held up his hand, "Tell them that I won't be taking anymore calls, and that I'm out of the office. Oh, and tell Clay that I'm leaving. And make sure to say: 'it's all your stupid kid's fault' got it?" He laughed. Haley shook her head, "Don't say that to him." She said, standing up. "Nathan, come on." Nathan stood up, grabbing onto her hand. "Bye Elizabeth." He said, nodding at her. "Bye Nathan, Haley." Elizabeth replied, walking off. Nathan picked up their food, before tugging Haley out of the building. "Excuse me, Mr. Scott, you have a call on line 1." Haley teased him. "It's so weird to see you all proper, and Mr. Scott. Even after all this time." She laughed, squeezing his hand. "Yeah, yeah. I told her not to call me that but she does." He said, shaking his head. "Keys." Nathan held out his hand. Haley set the keys in his hand, kissing his cheek. He hurried and pulled her door open, before jumping up and attempting to slide across the hood, but just landing on it. He got in quickly, shaking his head. Haley laughed loudly, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, that would of worked in your car. It would of been impressive and cool. But no, you just had to bring this monster." He grumbled. Haley smiled at him, "It was... sexy?" She tried, laughing again. "Yeah, laugh it up." Nathan said, beginning to drive home. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"They walked inside a little bit later, Nathan walking over and putting their leftovers in the fridge. "Okay, Hales. Put me to work." He said, rubbing his hands together. Haley smiled at him, "Thats the spirit. Why don't you you go vacuum the stairs?" She said, smiling at him. Nathan nodded at her, getting the vacuum out of the closet./div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"About four hours later, only taking a small break in between to go pick up everyone, Nathan and Haley had finally finished, even finding the time to hang Nathan's jerseys back on Jamie's wall. "Go team Scott." Nathan laughed, giving Haley a high-five. Haley laughed, smiling at him. "That wasn't so bad." She said, shrugging. "Eh, it could of been worse." He said, sitting down on the couch. "Someone probably needs to ask Nicole and Jordan how school went... They weren't particularly talkative in the car ride home. Good thing Lydia talked the whole time." Haley said, sitting next to him. "Not it." Nathan said quickly, shaking his head. She smiled at him, "I thought so." Haley stood up again, "You can go get ready for tonight. It starts at 5:30. It's not casual dress, but it's not quite as fancy as you're dressed right now." She said, tugging on the collar of his shirt. "What are you wearing?" He asked. "Oh, I'm just going to wear some nice jeans and a nice shirt. Nothing very fancy." She shrugged. "So I'll just wear a different button up and jeans?" Nathan asked her. Haley laughed, "Yeah. Sounds good. Go." She hummed, heading to Nicole's room and knocking on the door. "Hey, Nicole? It's Haley." She said softly. Nicole pulled open the door a second later, sighing. "What?" She asked. "Oh, I was just coming to check in and see how school was today." Haley replied, smiling at her. "It was fine. Did you need anything else?" Nicole asked in her an annoyed tone. Haley sighed, "Nope. I think that was it." She said, shaking her head and heading up the stairs to talk to Jordan, finding Megan in the room with her. "Hey Jordan! How was school?" Haley asked, smiling. "It was good! Jamie was nice and let me stay with him. I have a couple of classes with him. I like his friend Madison, but his friend Chuck is..." Jordan trailed off. "Yeah, he's Chuck." Haley said, nodding her head. "But yeah. Overall, it was good." Jordan nodded, looking at Megan. "Where did you disappear to today, Megan?" Haley asked. "Okay, so I went to that basketball court place that you guys took us to, because I thought the view was pretty. And I played basketball with three guys that were there. One of them was Deb's ex boyfriend, one of them had a sort of Afro type hair, and the last one's name was... Junk?" Megan laughed. "You went and played basketball with Skills, Fergie, and Junk?" Haley laughed, raising her eyebrows. "Yeah, I sucked so badly." Megan nodded her head, shrugging. "That's awesome." Haley said, shaking her head. "Yeah, it was fun but I think I'm going to stick to watching basketball." Megan said, laughing quietly. Haley nodded her head, "Yeah. Same here. I'm terrible at basketball. Anyways, about tonight. We're having a party here to celebrate the fact that my sister is pregnant. You guys are totally welcome to join. It's just a small thing." Haley said, nodding at them. "Anyways there will be food and-" "Haley!" Nathan yelled out. Haley let out a sigh, shaking her head. "I have three kids, and that is the one that depends on me the most. I'll be back." She said, shaking her head and walking into their room. "Okay, what do you need?" Haley asked him, laughing quietly. "Which shirt?" Nathan asked, holding up two shirts. "Sometimes you don't care at all what you're wearing, and sometimes you make me come pick out your outfit. I don't get it." Haley laughed, looking at the shirts. "I have my mind made up. I just wanted you to come in here and see me shirtless." Nathan smirked at her. "Yep, that sounds more like it." Haley said, holding up the two shirts to his chest. "Wear this one." She said, pushing the light blue shirt into his chest, before hanging the other one in the closet. "Will you go ask Jamie if he's done with his homework?" Haley asked him, kissing his cheek. "Yeah, of course. I'll remind him to hang out with Logan tonight too. And Brooke is bringing her boys, so I'll also make sure everything that could break is out of reach." Nathan laughed, putting the shirt on quickly, buttoning it up. He kissed Haley's forehead, before hurrying out of the room. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"Within the next hour, everyone was ready and downstairs. Jordan, and Nicole had opted to stay in their rooms, while Megan decided to come and socialize. "Okay, Clay told me that Quinn has been craving pizza like crazy, so I'm sorry that's what we got. I promise we don't have pizza for dinner this often, we've just been busy." Haley laughed to Megan, going to get the door as the doorbell rang. She walked over quickly, pulling open the door, seeing Chris Keller standing there with Taylor. "Um, hey. What are you guys doing here?" She asked quietly, glancing over her shoulder. "Chris Keller decided to bring his new lady to Tree Hill, and we heard about a party that was going on here." Chris informed her. "Okay. Well... Come in." Haley said, stepping to the side. "Thanks for the invite, Haley." Taylor said, shaking her head. "Taylor, you live in another state. I didn't invite any of our other siblings either." She pointed out, shrugging. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"After few minutes, Quinn, Clay, and Logan came in. "Hey! Uncle Nathan. Check this out." Logan ran up to him, holding up a remote control helicopter. Nathan looked down at the eleven year old, "Woah dude! Look how sweet this thing is." He said, taking it out of Logan's hands, turning it around to look at it. "I bet Jamie would think this was way cool. I think he's upstairs in his room playing play station. You're going to have to show me how to fly it some time though." He said, ruffling Logan's hair. Logan nodded his head, rushing up the stairs. "Hey man." Clay said, slinging his arm around Nathan's shoulder. "What's up? I didn't see much of you at work today." Nathan said, looking at him. "Yeah, Quinn came over, and let's just say that I love pregnancy hormones." Clay laughed. Nathan rolled his eyes, pushing his arm off his shoulder. "Oh great. While I was getting some actual work done, you were getting laid. How is that fair?" He grumbled. "Hey, maybe you'll get there one day." Clay laughed. Quinn walked up next to him, linking her arm with his. "Hey Nate. What are you two talking about?" She asked. "Oh, you know. Work." Nathan said, shrugging his shoulders. "Hey, no work tonight." She said, tapping Clay's arm. Clay nodded his head, laughing quietly. "Okay, fine." He said. Nathan nodded his head, watching his wife talk to Brooke and Julian, who had just entered the house. Nathan looked down when he felt someone jump from the couch, onto his back, and another person cling to his leg. "Where's Lydia?" Davis asked from his back, laughing loudly as Nathan spun around, trying to catch sight of Davis. Jude fell off his leg, laughing when he landed on the ground. "She's upstairs." Nathan laughed to him. "Yo, Scott! Be careful with my kids." Brooke called to him. Nathan pulled Davis off of his back, pretending to wrestle him down to the ground, before Jude jumped on him. Nathan fell to the ground as both of the boys began to jump on him. "Why do they like him so much? They totally just ran past me." Haley laughed, shaking her head. "Yeah, you tell me." Julian said, smiling at his sons, before looking at Brooke. "Hey you two, leave Uncle Nathan alone and go upstairs to find Lydia. Don't attack her." Brooke said, waving towards the stairs. Davis and Jude each jumped onto Nathan once more, before running up the stairs. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"Nathan stood up slowly, stretching. "Well damn." He laughed, sitting on the couch next to Taylor. "I'll make sure to remember the way to defeat you, Nathan. It could come in handy." Megan laughed, sitting down next to him. "Hi, you must be Taylor. I'm Megan. Nathan's step sister." Taylor waved at her, "I'm Quinn and Haley's sister." She said, smiling. After a second, Chris pulled Taylor over to kiss him. Nathan stood up, shaking his head. "Nope." He grumbled. "Hey look! It's you two's pasts kissing each other." Quinn said, pointing at Taylor and Chris, then at Nathan and Haley. "Hey, watch it. We threw this party for you." Haley laughed, wrapping her arm around Nathan's waist when he walked over to her, gently rubbing his back. Quinn laughed, walking over and getting some pizza out of the box. "What am I going to do without you tomorrow?" Nathan asked, looking down at her. "You're going to be fine, Nathan. Don't worry about it." Haley laughed, smiling at him. "Yeah but you wake me up in the morning, you brought me lunch, you picked me up from work." He laughed. "Technically Lydia woke you up this morning." She reminded him. "You get the point." He said softly. Haley looked up at him, shaking her head. "Nathan, we've been apart for longer than this. You'll be okay." She said softly, kissing his cheek. "We'll talk about it later, okay?" She suggested. Nathan nodded his head, hurrying over to the door and pulling it open. "Chase! And... Alex?" He raised his eyebrows. "We didn't come together. Just got here at the same time." Alex said, walking into the house, hurrying over to Quinn and hugging her tightly. Megan choked on her pizza, glancing over Haley. "Do you guys just... Know everyone?" She asked. Haley laughed, shaking her head. "No, but we know a lot of people. Alex is signed with my label." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "Now we're just waiting on Mouth and Millie I think. Is Skills coming?" Nathan asked, looking at his wife. "No, they decided to stay home because it's their night with Nathan and he's not feeling well." Haley said, looking over at him. "Stupid Tim. It's so weird to hear that." He grumbled out, shaking his head. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"Within the next half hour, Mouth and Millie had showed up with their three year old daughter, Penelope. Nathan was talking to Taylor and Chris, not really engaged in the conversation at all because half way through a sentence they would stop to take something they called a "make out break." He glanced over at Haley, who was talking to Megan and Brooke. Haley's gaze met his when she felt him watching her, smiling slightly. "Help me?" Nathan mouthed to her. Haley laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "Hey, Nathan! Can you come here for a second?" She asked him. Nathan quickly rushed away from Chris and Taylor, over to his wife. "You're my hero." He said softly, kissing her head. "Baby Mama strikes again." Brooke said, winking at Haley. Nathan laughed loudly, while Haley just rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Brooke." She grumbled out, shaking her head at Megan who had a confused face. Clay walked over to Nathan, slinging his arm around his shoulders, "When are you going to make a speech, man? Julian was telling me that you have a really good one at your mom's wedding. Make a speech." He laughed. Nathan shook his head, "I'm afraid my speech days are over." He said, shrugging. "Come on, buddy." Clay said, elbowing him. Nathan sighed, looking at him. "Fine." He grumbled out. "Great." Clay smirked, bumping his fist with Nathan's. "When I go stand next to Quinn, that's when I want you to give it." He said. Nathan sighed softly, nodding his head. "Don't know why I have to give one. You're the one that's good with words." He grumbled to Haley. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"After a few minutes, Clay had moved to stand next to Quinn, giving Nathan a thumbs up. Nathan cleared his throat, "Hey everyone, we want to thank you all for being here. Clay and Quinn already have a kid, some I don't know why I'm saying all of this, but I just felt a strong... Push? To do this." He laughed, glancing over at Clay. "So, anyways. If you would of told me sixteen years ago, that I would have all of the words memorized to Love is and Open Door from the movie Frozen, as well as have all of the songs from every High School Musical movie, and just about every other Disney movie by now, I would of told you to shut the hell up, then I probably would of decked you." Nathan laughed, looking over at Haley. "Though I never planned on knowing all of these songs, it just happened. There is nothing better in the world to me, than having my daughter beg me to sing "the guy's part" of Frozen songs, even thought Haley and I both hate Frozen, and I can't sing to save my life. When you're a parent, you do the little things for your kids. The ones that seem so small, but it's a memory that will stay with them forever. And if that includes knowing "Fabulous" from High School Musical 2, then you learn it. The things that will make their day just a little better, and make them laugh. I used to let Jamie practice shaving on my face, after her got really good with the spoon, of course. And an occasional cut here or there meant nothing to me, because I was spending time with my son. There is nothing better in this world that hearing my kids laugh uncontrollably about something I did. One time, I tackled Haley into the pool after she had just gotten home from work, neither of us were in our swimsuits, Haley wasn't too happy about it at first, but Jamie and Lydia thought it was hilarious, so eventually she was laughing about it." Nathan laughed into the microphone, winking over at Haley. "The point that I'm trying to get across, is that my family is the most important thing in the world to me. Without them, I would be nothing. I could have it all, but without Haley, Jamie, and Lydia, nothing would be as important. Grasses are greener, skies are bluer. Nothing helps with a bad day more than family. So with that, congratulations to Clay and Quinn on expanding their family." He said, tilting his cup of water in their direction. Quinn rushed over to him, hugging him tightly. "Wow, Nathan. That was beautiful." She said softly, wiping the tears from her face. Nathan laughed quietly, hugging her. "I try." He said, smiling at her. Clay gave Nathan a quick hug, "Lived up to standards, my man. Nice going." He said, clapping Nathan on the shoulder. "Hey, you owe me one." Nathan said, nodding at Clay. Clay smiled, "Can't you just do nice things for me?" He asked. "Hell no." Nathan replied, shrugging his shoulders and laughing. Haley wrapped her arms around Nathan, kissing his cheek. "Nice speech, baby." She smiled up at him. "I didn't know that you knew all of the words to Fabulous, though." She smirked up at him. "Well... Yeah." Nathan shook his head, looking down. Clay laughed, "That's cute, Nate." He said, smirking. Quinn nodded at Haley, "If you ever get to see him sing it, make sure to take a video." She laughed. "Then post it on twitter because the world needs to see it." Quinn said, smirking. "Yeah, I think she's already posted enough embarrassing things of me on twitter, and Instagram." Nathan grumbled, kissing Haley's head. "True enough." Quinn laughed. "Hey, I'm going to go talk to Alex some more. I'll see you later." She said, hugging Haley and heading away. Clay stepped in between Nathan and Haley, putting his arms around both them. "Look at me. When you guys met me I was sad, and lonely and I tried to drown my sorrows in women." He laughed. Haley smiled at him, "Yeah, I'm proud of you Clayton." She laughed. "Me too, man. Me too." Nathan said, looking over at his friend. "Well I'm proud of you guys too." Clay laughed, smiling at them. "So Clay, what do you think of Nathan's assistant?" Haley asked him. "She's not as pretty as you, Hales, if that's what you're thinking." Clay assured her, squeezing her shoulder. "I told you." Nathan said, shrugging. "All I know is that Tami gets work done that I don't want to do, so as long as Elizabeth does that then she's a good assistant. Plus, Haley. I'm there to bring you up if she tries to hit on him." Clay laughed. "Are they going with you on Thursday?" Haley asked, frowning. Nathan looked at Clay quickly, raising his eyebrows. "Oh hell no. Boys weekend." Clay said, nodding at Nathan. "Okay, good." She said, sighing softly. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"Brooke walked up next to them with Julian. "Geez, Nate. With all of the speeches you've been giving you're starting to sound more like Lucas." She laughed. Nathan shook his head, "Oh man, I don't want to be like Lucas." He groaned. Haley laughed, "Hey, we could all use a little bit of Lucas." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "He's not even here and she still defends him. What a good friend." Clay said, laughing quietly. "Yeah, anyways. Hales, we're going to head out. I'm sorry that we're leaving so early but Davis and Jude need time to wind down before they go to bed." Brooke said, hugging her quickly. Haley nodded, "Yeah, I understand. I'll see you on Friday, okay?" She hummed, hugging her again. Brooke nodded, "Julian, go get the boys. I'm going to go start the car. It's freezing out there." She said, smiling. "Bye Clay, Quinn. Congratulations!" Brooke's called out, hurrying outside. Julian headed up the stairs, coming back down a few minutes later with Davis and Jude chasing after him. "Bye Uncle Nathan!" They both said, rushing to him and jumping on him. Nathan laughed, "Bye guys. I'll see you soon, alright? Be good for your parents." He said, messing up Jude's hair. "Bye boys." Haley said, waving at them. "Oh! Bye Aunt Haley." Davis said, before running outside with Jude. "Have fun, Julian." Clay laughed. Julian nodded his head, "They're killing me. I'll see you guys later." He said, before following them out. "It really isn't fair. I'm their Godmother, but they totally ignore me and go straight to you." Haley grumbled. Nathan laughed, shrugging. "I'm fun, Haley." He said, looking at her. "Am I not fun, Nathan?" She asked. "Okay, well. I think you're fun. But I let them jump on me and wrestle me to the ground and stuff." He shrugged. Haley sighed, shaking her head. "It's fine, Jamie and Lydia still like me more." She teased him, linking her arm through his. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"Chase walked up to them a minute later, "Hey guys. Great party. But I have to go help Chuck with some homework." He laughed. "I'll see you guys soon, okay? If you see Alex, tell her it was nice to see her again." He added, smiling and waving at them before heading outside. "Poor Chase, he can't ever catch a break." Haley said, sighing. "He just needs to find a nice girl. I think that him and Mia would be a nice fit but he doesn't like that she's gone all of the time." She looked over at Nathan. "Hey, it's hard to love someone who's far away." Nathan shrugged, kissing Haley's head. "But right now, all I can think about is how Taylor is talking to Megan, and they keep looking over here. So I'm going to talk to Mouth, and you need to go get Megan away from her." He said, rushing over to Mouth and Clay. Haley laughed quietly, walking over to Taylor, Megan, and Chris. "What's going on over here?" She asked. "Oh, just telling Megan over here stories about you." Taylor laughed, smiling. "About Nathan and me too." She smirked. "Yeah, this was not in Lucas' book, that's for sure." Megan laughed. Haley sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "How long are you in town, Tay?" She asked. "I'll be here until next week some time. But Chris tells me that you're leaving tomorrow." Taylor said, frowning. "Yeah, I'm going to finish the last few shows with Mia." Haley nodded. "I'll be back on Friday though." She said softly. "Okay, then I'll see you on Friday." Taylor hummed. "Are you staying here?" Haley asked. Taylor shook her head, "No, I was planning on staying with Chris." She said, looking over at Chris. "Okay, well. Don't corrupt Megan too badly." Haley laughed, smiling at Megan. "Oh, don't worry. We aren't planning on leaving Chris's place that much." Taylor winked. Haley shook her head, "Good luck with that." She said, sighing. "Yeah, Haley. I think I'm going to go upstairs and go to bed. I'm a little jet lagged from the flight still, and all that basketball I played today." Megan said. Haley nodded, watching as Megan walked up the stairs. "You probably scared her, Tay." She laughed. "Haley James, don't speak to my girl like that." Chris said, wrapping his arm around Taylor. "Mm, you're sexy when you're standing up for me." Taylor said, turning to Chris and kissing him. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"Haley shook her head, walking away from them and over to Quinn, Alex, and Millie. "Taylor's crazy." She grumbled. Quinn laughed, hugging Haley. "We already knew that and have decided to just accept her the way she is, remember?" She said, smiling. "Oh right, I forgot." Haley laughed, shaking her head. Millie looked over at Mouth, who was carrying their sleeping child. "Hey, I think Marvin and I are going to head out." She said, hugging Alex quickly. "It was so good to see you again. How long are you in town for?" She asked. Alex shrugged, "I think I'm leaving on Saturday. I don't know yet, we'll see." She smiled. "But I think I'm going to go too. Thanks for the party, Haley." Alex said, hugging Haley, then Quinn, then Millie once again. Millie nodded her head, "Yeah, thank you Haley. It was fun. Congratulations, Quinn." She said, walking over to Mouth. Alex hugged Quinn once more, before following Mouth and Millie outside. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);""Looks like it's just the family left, and Chris Keller. But he's pretty much part of the family now." Chris said, smirking. "I wouldn't jump to that." Nathan said, shaking his head. "Oh come on, Nate. We're practically brothers now. We've been through it all." Chris said, slinging his arm around Nathan's neck. Nathan sighed softly, shaking his head again. "Whatever you say, man." He grumbled. Chris looked at Haley, "Did you hear that? Family, Haley James. Brothers." He said, gesturing to himself and Nathan. "I'm happy for you, Chris." Haley said, laughing quietly. "I just had a great idea. I'm going to go out Lydia to bed." Nathan said, shoving Chris' arm off of him, before hurrying up the stairs. Quinn laughed, looking over at Clay. "Quinn, what do you think of Nathan's new assistant?" Haley asked her curiously, sitting down next to Taylor on the couch. "Oh, this is going to be good." Taylor said, sitting up straighter. "Quinn, just tell her the answer she wants to hear. Remember, she's crazy too." Clay said, sitting on the arm of the couch. "Hey, don't sit there." Haley said, shaking her head, reaching over and smacking his leg. Clay stood up, laughing quietly. Quinn sat next to Haley, "I think that she is trying to hard to get Nathan's attention, she basically wears nothing." She said, crossing her legs. "Quinn, that is not what I meant." Clay shook his head. "But that's what she wanted to hear, isn't it?" Quinn laughed, looking at Haley. "Exactly! I'm not the only one who sees it." Haley nodded her head, sighing. "Hey, I'm going to defend Nathan because we're brothers." Chris jumped in. "I mean, I've had slutty assistants and none of them have tried to sleep with me." He said. Haley looked at Chris, shaking her head. "Not the same situation at all." She said, sighing. "I was in there earlier and hot damn she was putting on lipstick, and checking herself out. I mean, she basically had her boobs hanging out." Quinn said, shrugging. "I know! I brought Nathan lunch today and she was sitting on his desk." Haley shook her head. "Guys, come on. She's his assistant, Tami comes in and talks to me too." Clay shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, but Tami is nice. Tami doesn't dress slutty, she dressed appropriate for the job, and is very respectful. She's engaged too, so." Quinn said, looking over at Clay. "I'm just saying, Clay. She's trying to get with Nathan." She shrugged. "I knew it!" Haley said, rolling her eyes. "There's so much drama in Tree Hill, I don't know why I ever leave it." Taylor laughed. "Another thing, since we're talking about skanks- Last week, when we were in the airport, this girl comes up to Nathan and asks him to sign her boobs! I'm standing right there, Nathan has Lydia hanging off his back." Haley grumbled out. "Oh that's precious. What did Nathan do?" Taylor asked. "He just said that he doesn't do that, then signed a piece of paper and walked away." Haley replied, shaking her head. "See! There's no way he's sleep with the slutty assistant because he wouldn't even sign her boobs." Clay said. "So you admit she's slutty!" Quinn turned to him. "What is even happening?" Clay laughed, shaking his head. "Why do women blatantly flirt with my husband right in front of me?" Haley complained, sighing. "I mean, Elizabeth comes in there saying things like "Oh Mr. Scott, you have a call." Or "Oh Mr. Scott you dropped you pen, here let me bend down and pick it up for you like the whore I am." It's crazy." Haley said. "She does not do that." Clay said, shaking his head. "She did it the other week. I'm standing right there, and she did that. It wasn't even his pen." She said. "What did Nathan do?" Chris asked. "He just, said "Oh thanks" without even looking in her direction then carried on his conversation with me, but still..." Haley said, sighing. Nathan walked back down the stairs, raising one eyebrow as all eyes turned to him. "Nate, go back upstairs. It's a mad house." Clay said quickly. "What happened?" Nathan asked slowly. "Mr. Scott, you have a call on line 1." Taylor mocked, looking up at him. "Oh by the way, I was at Victoria's Secret the other day and bought a new bra if you wanted to see it." She smirked. Nathan sighed, "Haley, are you still talking about this?" He groaned, shaking his head. "Yeah, she is. Chris Keller was defending you but now it sounds a little fishy." Chris said to Nathan, crossing his arms. "I tried to tell them that nothing is happening, Nate. The James sisters are in crazy mode, and if you don't think of something soon then it will be you they are fighting in the pool." Clay laughed. "Hales, this is crazy. She's a good assistant and she gets the job done. I can't just fire her because you think she's flirting with me." Nathan said, sighing. "Hey, don't talk to her. Talk to me, you little cheater!" Chris stood up, walking over to Nathan. "Chris, back off. He's not cheating on me." Haley said, shaking her head. "How do we know that?" Chris asked, pushing Nathan softly. "Chris, I can beat your ass so step away." Nathan sighed. "Here's the plan, I will have Clay watch us this week, and I will pay attention as well. If I feel like she's hitting on me, I'll fire her. Sound fair?" He said, sighing. "Alright. Fair enough. Quinn, I expect you to go check it out too. And maybe Taylor." Haley said. "But don't fire her we're both here because I want to check it out as well." She shrugged. Quinn and Taylor nodded, "Team James." Quinn said, laughing. Clay sighed, looking at Nathan and shaking his head. "Team James." Chris said, "Hands in girls. We're going to take down cheating men all over America." He smirked. "Really, Chris?" Nathan sighed, rolling his eyes. "You're right, Nathan. Why should we stop at America! The James Girls and Chris Keller are taking down cheating men all over the world!" Chris cheered. "Let's do it." Taylor stood up. "Okay, let's plan tomorrow. We're going now." Chris said. Taylor grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the house. Nathan sighed softly, sitting next to Haley. "I feel a sudden peace in the house that wasn't there before." He said. Quinn stood up, "We're leaving too. But we're taking the pizza with us." She said, picking up the pizza box. Clay ran up the stairs to get Logan, while Quinn turned back to her sister. "I've got your back, Little Sis. I'll see you on Friday, okay? Call me." She smiled, hugging Haley tightly. Haley nodded, "Yeah, of course. You call me if you find out anything. I love you Quinny." She smiled. Quinn nodded, looking at her husband and son as they came down the stairs. "Bye Hales. I'll see you next week. Sorry that you won't get to see Nathan for a week." Clay said, hugging her quickly. "Okay, bye Nate. I'll see you tomorrow." He said. Logan hugged Haley, before fist bumping Nathan. "Bye Aunt Haley. Bye Uncle Nathan. I'll see you guys later." He said, waving as the small family walked out of the house. /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"Nathan turned to Haley, kissing her cheek. "You're beautiful." He said softly, standing up. "Go to bed, angel. I'll finish cleaning up." He smiled at her, kissing her quickly. Haley nodded at him slowly, "I love you, Nathan Scoff. Don't forget it." She smiled. She stood up, walking up the stairs. About twenty minutes later, Nathan walked into the room after getting ready for bed, smiling at his sleeping wife. He got into her next to her, hugging her to him. "I love you, Haley James Scott." He mumbled, kissing her quickly. "I'm going to miss the hell out of you." Nathan hummed quietly, before slowly falling asleep./div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);" /div  
div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094);"strongAnother chapter that probably could of been made into two./strong/div 


	15. Chapter 15

**I don't own One Tree Hill.**

 **Yeah, I'm sorry the last chapter was so long. I knew it was long but I didn't expect it to be that long.**

 **Chapter 15**

Nathan woke up to the sound of a bag unzipping, and drawers opening. He lifted up his head, rubbing his eyes and glancing across the room. "Haley?" He asked, sitting up. "You let me go to bed last night, and I forgot to pack." Haley said, looking over at him. Nathan glanced at the clock and groaned. "It's 6:30, Hales. It doesn't take that long to pack." He grumbled. "How would you know, Nathan? I've been packing your bag for you for fifteen years." She reminded him, looking over at him. He nodded his head, scooting to the end of the bed. "I pack it sometimes." He mumbled out, sighing softly. Haley smiled at him, nodding. "Yeah, and you just throw your clothes into a bag. Mine are all neatly placed in there." She said, shrugging. "If I pack for you, it will take ten seconds, then you can come back to bed." Nathan hummed, attempting to rub the sleep from his eyes. Haley looked over at him once again, "You can go back to sleep, honey." She said softly, rolling up a shirt and setting it in her bag. "I know." He replied, looking up at her. "I'm just watching. Since I will have to pack my own things this time, of course." Nathan said, smiling at her. "I can pack it for you right now, if you'd like." Haley said to him, shrugging. "Oh no, that's okay. Why are you rolling up the shirts instead of folding them?" He asked her. "I fold them in half first, and then roll them. I think it makes them easier to pack and unpack." Haley said to him, laughing quietly. "You aren't just noticing this, right?" She asked him. Nathan shook his head, "No, I'm not. " He said, smiling slightly. Haley nodded at him, turning back to the dresser.

"Do you have to go?" Nathan asked her after a second, sighing. "A week is a long time, you know." He said softly, looking down. Haley looked at him, frowning and walking over to him. "Don't do this, Nathan." She said softly, flattening out his hair, and resting her hands on his shoulders. "Don't do what?" He asked her, sighing softly. "Don't act sad like I just hit your puppy with my car but you're trying to be tough." Haley said, rubbing his shoulder. "I'm not doing that..." Nathan trailed off, shaking his head. "Yeah, okay. You leave a lot more than I do, Nathan. Stop making me feel bad." She said. Nathan smiled at her, "You deserve to have fun, Hales. I'll be fine here without you. Honestly." He said, resting his hand on one of hers, grabbing it and kissing her palm softly. "I just think it sucks that our little trips interfere with one another." Nathan mumbled. Haley hugged Nathan to her, resting her chin on top of his head. "It really isn't that long, you know. I probably won't even notice that you're gone." He mumbled out. Haley laughed quietly, "Oh yeah, I'm sure that's true." She said, pulling away and walking back over to the dresser. Nathan looked at her, "I mean, Jamie seems to have healthy relationships with his friends and he texts them more than he talks to them in person." He laughed. Haley rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I'm sure that would be the same with us." She smiled. Nathan looked down again, before looking back up at his wife. "Do you really have to go?" He asked again. Haley looked over at him, sighing softly. "Nathan, you break my heart when you say that to me. I'm going. I already have a plane ticket, and everything." She said softly. Nathan nodded his head, "Who's going to protect me against Nicole, though?" He asked her, smiling slightly. Haley laughed, "Oh, Megan will be there every step of the way. Then I get to deal with her when I get back. And if she disrespects me, bam. Doing the dishes until Deb and William get back." She said, shrugging. "Oh, damn." Nathan laughed. "I know. Mama doesn't play nice. Not with anyone. Especially not with people that hurt her cubs." Haley laughed. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head, "Am I included in the cubs?" He asked. "Yeah, you are." She said, winking at him. "I shouldn't of asked." Nathan sighed, shaking his head. He stood up slowly, yawning and walking over to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind. He looked over her shoulder into the bag, "Hey! Some of those are mine." Nathan said, raising his eyebrows. "They smell like you, and I like to sleep in them when I'm away from you. You know that." Haley said, leaning back into him. "Yeah, but you're taking like five shirts, and you'll only be gone for two nights." He said, shaking his head. "I need options, Nathan. You have plenty of t-shirts." She said. "Fine, then I'm taking something of yours with me." Nathan smirked, kissing the side of her head. Haley rolled her eyes, looking at him. "Whatever helps you sleep better at night, Nathan." She said softly. Nathan tightened his arms around her, "It's getting cold, Hales. Maybe you should take a sweatshirt to sleep in too." He said softly. Haley smiled at him, closing her eyes and leaning her head back into his shoulder. "Yeah, I was planning on it." She said softly. Nathan hugged her tightly for a second, his eyes falling shut as well. "You're distracting me." Haley said softly. "I'm not doing anything." He mumbled. "You're warm and it's making me fall back asleep." She hummed out. "Then pull away from me." Nathan mumbled, keeping his tight grip on her. "No. I'm going to miss this. A week without you is going to suck." Haley said softly. "Then don't go." He replied. She shook her head, smiling slightly. After a second of silence, Haley finally made herself leave her husband's tight embrace, turning her attention back to her suit case. "I almost had you, Hales. I was so close." Nathan laughed, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. Haley shook her head, smiling slightly.

After a few minutes of silence, Nathan finally spoke. "Holy shit." He said, looking at his phone. "What?" Haley asked, turning to look at him quickly. "It's almost our anniversary." He said, looking up at her. "We've almost been married for fifteen years. Wow." He said, pushing his fingers through his hair. "Oh dammit, I'm old. Holy shit I'm so old." He said, looking at her with wide eyes. Haley raised her eyebrows at him, "Nathan. Breathe. You aren't old. We aren't old." She laughed, smiling at her husband who was practically hyperventilating. "Fifteen years." Nathan said after another second. "Maybe we can finally catch up on some sleep. That's all I want." He said, laying back on the bed. He sat back up after a second, "This time, fifteen years ago, you were a virgin." Nathan smirked at her. "A virgin with a tramp stamp." He added. Haley threw a shirt at him, shaking her head. "Make fun of it all you want, but I'm happy I waited. I can tell our kids about it if they ever get mad because we don't want them to have sex until they're married." She shrugged. "Yeah, you're smart. Always thinking ahead. I wish I could tell our kids the same. I'll just sit out of that conversation." He sighed, shaking his head. Haley nodded at him, "That's right. Everyone makes fun of the virgin until they are hypocrites to their kids because they tell them not to have sex." She said, turning back to her suitcase.

Nathan watched her quietly, smiling because every once and awhile she would talk to herself. After a few minutes, she zipped up the bag. "Okay, I'm all ready. And would you look at that, we don't have to wake everyone up for ten more minutes." She smiled, laying down in bed once again, looking at Nathan. Nathan hurried and laid down next to her, wrapping one arm around her as her head rested on his chest. Haley's fingers gently traced designs into his stomach, humming softly. "What are you thinking about?" She asked him after a minute of silence. "How my life didn't turn out anything like I'd expected it to." Nathan said softly, kissing the top of Haley's head. "Oh yeah? Good or bad?" She asked him. "Good, for sure." He said softly. "Oh, and I'm thinking about what to get you for our anniversary. I'm thinking that my mom owes us for this one, so you pick anywhere in the world that you want to go, Haley James. And I will take you there." Nathan said softly. "Right where I'm at seems pretty good to me." She smiled, pressing her face into his chest for a second, sucking in a deep breath, listening to his steady heartbeat. Nathan grinned, rubbing her back softly, hugging her closer to him. "Try to keep a cool head this week, okay?" Haley said to him, sitting up after a second and looking down at him. "I know that Nicole gets under your skin, but just... Avoid the argument. You both aren't totally happy with your parents being married. And she's probably stressed about starting at a new school her senior year." She said softly. Nathan sighed, nodding his head. "Yes dear." He teased, sitting up and leaning back against the headboard of their bed.

Nathan got out of bed slowly, stretching his arms and yawning. "Maybe I can get Clay to go without me for a little while and then I can see you for a few hours in between trips. I mean, I can always pull the kidnapped card." He said, digging through the dresser. "The kidnapped card?" Haley raised her eyebrows, frowning slightly. "Yeah, I just say 'Clay, I was kidnapped.' and he let's me do almost anything." Nathan shrugged. Haley rolled her eyes, "You guilt him into things?" She laughed. "I guess you could say that." He replied, nodding. "Don't start pulling that card with me, it will probably have a negative effect." She said, standing up. Nathan turned towards her, rushing over to her and falling onto his knees in front of her, wrapping his arms around her legs tightly. "Haley, please don't go. I'm scared of being alone, I was kidnapped." He said softly, holding her closer to him. Haley frowned, pushing on his head softly. "Woah, don't do that." She said, shaking her head. "That hurts my heart." She said, looking down at him. Nathan stood up, shrugging his shoulders and smirking slightly, walking back over to the dresser. "You aren't actually scared, right?" Haley asked, walking over to him and resting her hand on his back. Nathan shook his head, "No. Not when I have thunder and lightning to back me up." He said, flexing his arms. She laughed, "Oh how I'll miss you." She sighed, kissing his cheek quickly. "I'm going to take a quick shower. Why don't you go wake up everyone?" Haley suggested. "I should of been getting ready earlier since I had free time, but you're just too cute to resist." She grinned, pinching his cheek. Nathan rolled his eyes, "Okay. I'll go wake them up." He smiled at her, heading out of the room.

After about another hour, everyone was loaded into the car. Nathan was just going to drop Haley off at the airport after he dropped everyone off at school. "Let's start with Nicole today, just to mix things up." He said. Nicole rolled her eyes, "Oh man, what a whirl you have thrown in my day." She grumbled. Nathan rolled his eyes, driving to the high school in silence. He pulled up to the curb, nodding. "Okay, out." He grumbled. "Bye Nicole, have a good day. If you need anything just call Nathan." Haley said, smiling at her. Nicole sighed, getting out of the car quickly.

Next they dropped off Jamie and Jordan, which wasn't nearly as quick because Haley spent a few minutes telling Jamie that she would miss him. Then it was Lydia, and this one took even longer because Lydia started crying and hugging Haley, and finally they were at the airport. Nathan sighed softly, getting out of the car and grabbing Haley's bag, slinging it over his shoulder. "I did not expect the breakdown that just happened." Haley said softly to him, sighing. "Yeah, that's how I feel inside." Nathan laughed, winking at her. "It's not that long, Nathan." She said defensively, shaking her head. "Hey, woah. I know that, Haley. I'm just messing with you." He said softly. "I know that no one wants me to go, but I've always done this for Mia, and you always do this." She sighed, looking down. Nathan looked at her and frowned, "Haley. What's wrong?" He asked. "I just feel bad." She said softly. "Don't feel bad, baby. You deserve to do things that you want to do. I'm leaving too, and you haven't begged me to stay. You never beg me to say. I'm just messing around with you." Nathan said to her, resting his hand on her shoulder. Haley sighed softly, looking at him. "It's just hard when Lydia is crying and telling me she doesn't want me to go." She said, looking at him. "It's alright, Haley. You deserve to go out and have a good time. I can handle things here." He smiled. Haley nodded at him, sighing softly. Nathan rested his hand on her back, leading her towards her gate. Haley tuned towards him once they arrived, "Okay. Don't forget to make sure that everyone gets their homework done. Don't to make everyone's lunches and start the dishwasher at night, and please don't feed them fast food for every meal. I know you like to be the fun parent that eats out all the time, but give them something healthy to eat." Haley laughed, looking up at him. Nathan nodded his head, "We'll see about that one." He laughed, looking down at her. "I'll see you next week." He said softly, rubbing his neck. She nodded, hugging him. "Be safe, Nathan. I'll call you when I land." She whispered. Nathan nodded his head, resting his forehead against hers. He kissed her, wrapping his arms tightly around her. Haley kissed him back for a second, before pulling away and smiling at him. "I love you, Nathan." She said softly, brushing her fingers through his hair. Nathan nodded at her, "I love you too. Call me when you land." He mumbled, hugging her once again. "I will." Haley said, taking her bag from him. Nathan held onto her hand for another second, before finally letting go. She smiled at him, waving and heading into her gate. He waited until she was out of sight, before walking back out to the car, sighing heavily.

Nathan drove into work, pushing his fingers through his hair. "Hello, Tami, Elizabeth. Sorry I'm late, I was dropping my wife off. Is Clay in?" He asked. Tami nodded at him, "Yeah. Go on back." She said. Nathan nodded, heading back into Clay's office. "Nate! How was dropping off Haley?" Clay asked, throwing a paper ball in his direction. Nathan caught it, tossing it into the trash. "Assist goes to Evans." He laughed. "Yeah, Lydia had a hard time with it but besides that it was fine." He said, sitting down in front of his friend's desk. "Oh, is your code name Lydia now?" Clay said, laughing. "Damn, you caught on." Nathan rolled his eyes. "No, I'll be fine." He said, shrugging. Clay nodded at him, "Okay, buddy. But if you need a shoulder to cry on, or someone to spoon you back to sleep in the middle of the night, my door is always open." He said, laughing. Nathan rolled his eyes, "Good to know." He said sarcastically. "Anyways, I came to ask about Thursday. What time are we leaving?" He asked. Clay looked at him, "Probably around lunch time. We have appointments scheduled to meet with the players at a few colleges in North Carolina, some in Georgia, then we'll be going to New York, and then Pennsylvania, and then home. So we have a busy schedule ahead of us." He said, nodding at him. Nathan nodded his head, standing up. "Sorry that this interferes with Haley, Nate. But it's worth it, trust me." Clay said, nodding at him. Nathan smiled, picking up a rubber basketball off Clay's desk, shooting it at the hoop hanging off his door. "I know, man. It's okay. Our whole marriage my jobs have kept me away from home, so it'll be fine." Nathan replied, walking over to the door and tossing the ball back to Clay. "Let me know if you need anything." He said to Clay. Clay nodded his head, "You too, man." He responded. Nathan nodded at him, and then walked into his own office down the hall.

A few hours later, Elizabeth poked her head into his office. "Nathan, you have a call on line 6." She said quietly. Nathan picked up his phone, "Hello?" He asked. "Hey stranger. Why haven't you been answering your phone?" Haley asked him, smiling. "I didn't hear it ring. I'm sorry." He smiled. "How long have you been calling," he asked. "Oh, I tried your phone for a couple minutes, then gave up and called this one. Plus, it gave me an extra stab at Elizabeth." Haley laughed into the phone. Nathan rolled his eyes, "How was the flight?" He asked softly. "Oh, it was alright. I just slept through most of it." She replied. It was silent on the other line for a minute, before Haley spoke up. "Nathan? Are you there?" She laughed. "Oh yeah, yeah. I'm sorry. I'm just watching some videos." He said. "Is this a bad time?" Haley asked him. "No, it's fine. I miss you, and I might not catch you until tomorrow, depending on when I go to bed, and since we woke up so early this morning that might be nine." Nathan said softly, laughing. "I'll make sure to call you sooner than that, don't worry." She assured him. "Good. Maybe I'll try to stay awake." He said softly. "So, what are you wearing?" Nathan teased her, glancing up as Elizabeth walked into his office. "Nathan, I'm wearing the exact-" "Hold on a second, Hales." He said quickly. "Hey, Elizabeth, can you give me a second? I'm on an important call." Nathan said. "Yeah, of course. I was just coming to drop off this note to remind you that you have a phone conference with the UNC coach tomorrow." She said, setting the note on his desk. "Thanks." He said, nodding to the door. "Sorry, baby." Nathan said into the phone. "Damn, you're sexy when you're telling your hot assistant to go away." Haley laughed. "Noted." He said, rolling his eyes. "So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Nathan asked her. "Well, Mia's show starts at seven, and it's one o'clock here, which means it's two for you, so don't forget to pick everyone up soon. Anyways, I'm probably just going to go to her sound check, then hang out until seven." She said. "I should of gone with you." Nathan said, pausing the video on his computer. "Yeah, I mean Megan could of watched them. Have you heard from her?" Haley laughed. "No, I think she's still asleep. She was supposed to bring me lunch. I just went with Elizabeth instead." He said, smirking. "You what?" She asked him. "I'm just messing with you. I just didn't eat." He said, pushing his fingers through his hair. "I don't like that either, Nathan. Take care of yourself." Haley said in a worried tone. "Oh no, you used your mom voice." Nathan laughed, smiling. "I've told you time and time again that I use my mom voice because I'm a mother. And I worry about you, just like I worry about Jamie and Lydia." Haley reminded him. "I love you, y'know that?" He said into the phone, leaning back in his chair. "I love you too, baby. Take care of yourself. I have to go now." She said softly, hanging up the phone. Nathan sighed softly, leaning back and closing his eyes.

The rest of the day went by slowly, Jamie had asked Nathan for help on his math homework, but Nathan was clueless too it. Nicole was being a bitch as usual. Lydia was tired so she was unhappy, and would start crying if Nathan asked her to do anything more than sit on the couch, Megan wouldn't stop talking. Jordan was the only one that Nathan could deal with at the moment, because she rarely spoke to him. He was currently cleaning up from dinner, which despite Haley's request to have them eat something healthy, had been McDonald's. He was currently trying to get ahold of his wife so she could help Jamie, sighing heavily at the big mess that Lydia had left. There were chicken nuggets everywhere, because she had started to throw them at anyone who would talk to her. "Hello?" Haley asked into the phone. "Hey baby. Are you busy?" Nathan asked her. "Not at the moment, Mia is stilling doing her sound check. What's up?" She asked. "Oh, I just need you to help Jamie with-" He was cut off because he slipped on a chicken nugget on the ground, landing flat on his back. "Dammit!" He yelled out, hitting his fist against the ground. It was quiet on Haley's end for a second. "Are you okay?" She asked him slowly. "No I'm not okay. Lydia has thrown about a thousand chicken nuggets at me and I just slipped on one." He muttered, standing up. He looked over and saw Jordan, who was staring at him with wide eyes. "What?" Nathan snapped at her, picking up Lydia's food off the ground. Jordan shrugged her shoulders, hurrying out of the room. "Nate..." Haley trailed off, frowning. "Are you hurt?" She asked. "No." He grumbled out. "Who did you snap at?" She questioned him, sighing softly. "Jordan." Nathan muttered, rubbing his head softly. "Don't yell at her, she didn't do anything to you. I don't have much time, so tell Jamie to come down so I can help him, please." Haley said, sighing. "Jamie! Mom is going to help you!" Nathan yelled up the stairs. Jamie rushed down them, setting his math book on the bar and sitting down. "Here." Nathan grumbled, handing his son the phone.

Nathan finished cleaning up about five minutes later, his phone being handed back to him. "Sorry Dad, she had to go. She said bye though." Jamie said, glancing at his father. "Did she help you?" He asked him, sighing. "Yeah, I get it now." Jamie replied, "Hey, I'm going to go back upstairs now." He said. Nathan nodded, watching his son walk up the stairs. "Hey, don't snap at my sister." Nicole said. "I didn't mean to, Nicole." He muttered. "So what if you slipped? That's funny." She informed him. "It's not funny though, because my spine has been shattered." Nathan replied, sitting down on the couch. "Geez you're pissy when your wife isn't around." Nicole smirked at him. "Yeah, whatever. Where's Megan?" He grumbled out. "She's on the phone with her boyfriend." Nicole informed him. "Do you need anything?" He asked. Nicole shook her head, "Nope, just wanted to come annoy you." She said, before walking back into her room. Nathan rolled his eyes, starting up the playstation.

Megan came downstairs a few minutes later, holding her phone to her ear, sitting down next to Nathan. "Grayson, stop." Megan laughed into the phone. "I'm next to my step brother now, you can't say things like that." She said. Nathan's grip on the controller tightened, letting out a deep sigh. "Okay, baby. I love you too. I'll see you soon." Megan smiled, hanging up the phone. "How's Haley doing?" She asked him. "She's doing well." Nathan said softly, setting his phone on the coffee table. "You going to wait until she calls you?" Megan asked him, leaning back. "I'm going to try." He replied, starting up his game.

At around two in the morning, his phone started to ring. Nathan sat up from his sleeping position on the couch, stretching his back and picking up his phone. "Hey baby." He said quietly, turning off the TV and heading up the stairs. "Hey sexy. Did I wake you up?" Haley asked him. "Yeah, but it's fine." He replied, walking into their room. "Oh no! I'm so sorry!" She said, her words slurring together a little bit. "Haley James Scott, are you drunk?" He laughed, sitting down on the bed. "Just a little." She laughed. "I'm sleeping on a tour bus. I miss it. Remember when we-" Haley was cut off by Mia. "Hales, I don't want to hear you and hubs sex stories." Nathan heard her say, laughing quietly. "But those are the best stories, Mia." Haley laughed. "Okay, Haley. I think it's time for you to go to bed." He laughed, smiling. "But I miss you." She replied. "I know the feeling. I'll talk to you tomorrow though, alright?" Nathan said softly. "Okay, Nathan. I love you so much." Haley said, smiling. "I love you too. Bye, baby." He laughed, hanging up the phone. He shook his head, smiling laying back into his bed, falling asleep slowly.


	16. Chapter 16

**I don't own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 16**

In the morning, Nathan's eyes opened slowly. He looked over at the clock and shot up. It was 9:30. "Oh shit." He said quickly, hurrying to his feet. He ran down the hall to Jamie's room, shaking his son awake quickly. "Jamie. Wake up, man. We're late." He said quickly. Jamie groaned, glancing at the clock. "Let's just skip today, Dad." He grumbled. "No, you missed all of last week. Up." Nathan said, hurrying to Lydia's room. He gently shook her awake. "Hey, Lyds. Time to get up, sweetheart. We over slept." He said softly. Lydia opened her eyes and nodded slowly, sitting up. He then rushed to Jordan's room, then Megan's, then he stopped in front of Nicole's door, knocking. "Nicole." He grumbled out. "What?" Nicole asked from behind him, all dressed and ready for the day. "You couldn't of woken me up?" He asked her, shaking his head. "Why would I? I don't want to go to school, so I was hoping you would sleep through it." She said to him, shrugging. Nathan rolled his eyes, letting out a deep breath. "Whatever, just- sit there." He said. Nicole walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch.

A few minutes later, Megan walked downstairs with Lydia. "There. Hair done." She said, gesturing to his daughter. "I owe you." Nathan said, nodding at her. Jordan walked down the stairs next, Nathan pouring her and Lydia some cereal. "Jamie!" He yelled up the stairs, pouring him some cereal too. Jamie came downstairs, grumbling and shaking his head. "Dude, what did you do? Sleep a couple more minutes?" Nathan asked him. Jamie shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Hey, don't roll your eyes at me." He scolded his son, sighing softly. "Okay, everyone. I'll bring you all lunch today. Go, go, go!" He said, gesturing to the door. Begrudgingly, everyone walked to the door, and got in the car.

By the time Nathan had dropped everyone off, it was 10:15. "Okay, that wasn't so bad, right?" He asked Megan, looking over at her. "Eh, it probably could of gone better." She laughed. "So, breakfast?" Nathan suggested, humming softly. "Okay, my hair is up in a terrible bun and we're both still wearing the clothes we slept in." Megan laughed. "Who cares? I mean, it's my wife's cafe." He replied, shrugging and pulling up in front of Karen's Cafe. Megan shrugged, "Fair enough, let's do it." She laughed, heading into the cafe with him. "Welcome to Karen's Cafe, what can I get for you?" Brooke asked, not looking up from the register. "Yeah, can I get one wife? Mine seems to have left for a couple days, and I'm struggling." Nathan laughed. Brooke looked up, smiling. "Yeah, you look like a wreck. Hi Megan." She said, waving at them. "Yeah, let's just say my kids were late to school today." He laughed, looking around. "Ah, did you come here just to tell me not to tell her about this?" Brooke laughed. "I was hoping that you wouldn't." He said, tapping his fingers on the counter. "Alright, what can I get for you? Besides a lot of help." She said, smiling. "Yeah, I really want some pancakes." Nathan said, yawning quietly. "Alright. And for you?" She asked, looking over at Megan. "I'll have an omelet." Megan said, smiling at her. "Okay, coming right up." Brooke said, yelling back into the kitchen. "Oh, and Brooke. Is it okay if I go back there and make some sandwiches and stuff?" Nathan asked, running his fingers through his hair. "I'll do it. How many do you need?" Brooke said, smiling. "Jamie will probably be hungry because I shoved him out the door after he had like one bite of his cereal. So let's go with five." He said. "Nate, just breathe a little bit. This isn't the first time you've been without Haley. You're stressing a lot, I can tell." Brooke laughed, reaching across the bar and resting her hand on Nathan's. "I don't even know how she does it all. She's like a super hero- oh wait, I guess she is a super hero." Nathan smirked. "Yeah, don't say she's like one. She is one. Baby Mama." Brooke laughed. "Okay, you guys keep saying that, and I'm really curious." Megan laughed. "After I got married, I was having wedding withdrawals, and I watched Kick Ass a lot. So I decided that I could be a superhero, and I recruited Haley and Quinn in it with me, and we were awesome. I have no regrets." Brooke laughed. "Haley was way pregnant at the time too." Nathan added, shaking his head. "That was the best day of my life. Better than my wedding, better than the day Jamie was born. Better than the day Lydia was born. Seeing my wife play superheroes with her friends. You guys are dorks." Nathan laughed, smiling. "Anyways, Nate. As I was saying, you're doing great. Just wake up at the right time tomorrow, and pick the kids up from school at the correct time. Oh, and Jamie has basketball practice after school." Brooke laughed, squeezing Nathan's hand. "See? I didn't even know that. And I love basketball." He groaned. She smiled at him, "Okay, Nate. Have a seat. I'm going to go see how your food is going, and get started on those sandwiches." She said, heading back into the kitchen. "You're a life saver, Brooke Davis!" Nathan laughed, moving to sit down. "This morning was a wreck. Don't tell Haley." He said to Megan, looking at her. "I won't." Megan assured him, smiling. Nathan sighed as his phone started to ring, pulling it out of his pocket. "It's Elizabeth. I'm sure that Haley has complained about her to you." He chuckled, answering it slowly. "Hello?" Nathan asked into the phone. "Sorry to bother you, but are you okay?" Elizabeth asked. "Uh, yeah. Just suffering without my wife around. What do you need?" He asked. "I was just calling to see if you were okay. Coming into work past nine isn't your thing." She said. Nathan laughed, "Are you kidding me? I always come in after nine." He said. Elizabeth laughed, "Okay, I guess that's true. You're still coming in today, right?" She asked him. "Yeah, planning on it. I have that phone conference thing." He said, "But right now I'm at breakfast, so I'll see you later. Bye." Nathan said, hanging up the phone. "Hm, she talks loudly, that's for sure." Megan laughed. "So, tell me more about this assistant." She said, leaning forward. "Her name is Elizabeth, and she gets the job done. That's really all there is to it." He said, sighing. "I think since you mentioned that Haley is gone, her mind is wandering. She likes you." Megan laughed. "Hey, keep your voice down. Brooke will definitely talk to Haley about this if she hears you, and that's the last thing I need." Nathan laughed, rolling his eyes. "I don't think that there's anything going on. She treats me nicely, but I treat her nicely too." He shrugged. "How nice do you treat her?" Megan asked, raising her eyebrows. "Okay, I brought her lunch twice on her first week. But only because I'd snapped at her on accident." He said. "What did you snap at her for?" Megan asked. Nathan shrugged, "I can't even remember. I just bright her lunch and said sorry. But after that I haven't brought her lunch or done anything for her." He said, sighing. "Does Haley know about this?" She leaned forward a bit more, resting her elbows on the table. "No, I guess not. I didn't think it was important. It's not, important I mean, it was just an apology." He said, rolling his eyes. "Well, I think she likes you. And every other woman you know thinks that too. So that means she probably wants to take advantage of this time that your wife is out of town." Megan shrugged. Brooke set their food on the table, scooting in next to Nathan. "Who wants to sleep with Nathan?" She asked. Megan looked at Nathan, before shrugging. "His hot assistant." She informed her. "Damn! Nate, what are you going to do?" Brooke asked, smirking. "Can't you mind your own business?" He asked. "You've met my kids, I don't get much drama anymore. Spill." She said. "Nathan bought her lunch twice." Megan said, shaking her head. Brooke gasped, "Nathan! You did not!" She said, smacking his arm. "Haley is my best friend! How could you?" She scowled. "Brooke, I did it her first week because I accidentally yelled at her. It was like I invited her to lunch, I just brought it to her." He grumbled, beginning to eat his food. "Well, tell me more." Brooke said, nudging him. "That's it." Nathan said, sighing. "Haley doesn't like her at all. She told me that she wears almost nothing, and she drops things and bends over to pick them up right in front of his face." Megan laughed. "Okay, this is stupid. She doesn't do that." He closed his eyes, rubbing his head.

Nathan picked up his phone when it started ringing, sighing softly. "It's Haley. Don't talk." He sighed, picking up the phone. "Hey baby." He smiled, tapping his fingers on the table. "Sounds like you had an interesting morning." Haley laughed. "Who told you?" Nathan sighed, shaking his head. "Jamie." She informed him. "I told everyone not to tell you." He laughed, leaning back. "Yeah, I asked him how the morning went though." She said softly. "Yeah, I'm a wreck without you. I told you that's how it would be." Nathan said, sighing. "Hey Haley!" Brooke yelled. "Dammit, Brooke. You just yelled in my ear." He said, shaking his head. "Mm, maybe your hot assistant will fix it for you." She said, smirking at Megan. Megan laughed quietly, shaking her head. "Tell her I said hi. And tell her that I have to talk to her about that, but later." Haley said, sighing. "She says hi, and she'll talk to you about it later." Nathan grumbled, sighing. "Okay, you guys. I have to go to work. Megan, you're welcome to come if you want. It might be boring." He said. "Oh, Megan is there. Just put me on speaker." Haley said. Nathan sighed, doing as she asked. "Megan, go to work with him and scope out my case." She laughed. "Oh, I was planning on it. I need to go back to college so I can get back into the drama." Megan laughed. "Brooke, thanks for food. And for the lunches. You're a life saver." He said softly. "Yeah, Brooke! Thanks for helping my husband." Haley said, shaking her head. "Yep, I packed stuff for you two as well. Call me later, Haley. I need the details." Brooke said, standing up. Nathan and Megan stood up as well, each of them hugging Brooke. "Bye, Brooke." He said, hurrying outside.

"Are you planning on going to work in that?" Megan asked him, laughing. Nathan looked down, "No, I uh, I have some clothes in my office. I have some of Haley's too, you can just borrow those." He said, shrugging. "Why do you have my clothes?" Haley asked, laughing. "Because... It's a long story." He said, glancing at Megan. "Anyways, we'll just wear those." He nodded. A couple minutes later, he pulled up in from of the office. They walked inside, Nathan nodding at Elizabeth and Tami. "Hey, this is my step sister, Megan. If you need me, we'll be in my office. But I'm on the phone with my wife, so please don't talk to me unless it's necessary." He said, hurrying back to his office with Megan following behind me. "Damn, Nate. That was cold." She laughed. Nathan rolled his eyes, "So what happened exactly, this morning?" Haley asked him. Nathan picked up Haley's clothes from out of his desk drawer. "Okay, I know this seems weird, but I have a reason I keep clothes in here, but I don't want to talk about it. You can change in here." Nathan said, stepping out. "Okay, anyways. I woke up late, Hales. I'm sorry." He said, laughing. "It's okay, Nathan. It happens." She said to him. Clay walked up, "Dude, are you wearing sweatpants?" He laughed. Nathan nodded at him, pointing at his phone. "Clay, I'm on the phone." He said, sighing. "Nathan, I can call you later if you're busy." Haley said to him. Nathan shook his head quickly, "No, no. It's fine. I miss you." He said, smiling. "So, what are you wearing?" Haley teased him. "That's my line, Hales. Plus, you're mocking me." He laughed, leaning against the wall outside his office. "Hey, you don't own that line." Haley said, laughing quietly. "It's sexy when you say it." He said softly. "Hey, you're at work, Scott. Watch it." She said, humming softly. "Nathan, your call is going to be starting soon. You should probably finish up." Elizabeth advised him. "Okay, thanks Elizabeth." Nathan nodded. "Don't tell me you have to go." Haley frowned. "I'm afraid I must. I love you, Haley James. Call me when you're free." He said, walking into his office once Megan gave him the okay. "Just stay on for a few more minutes." Haley said to him, sighing. "Okay, but don't say I never gave you anything." He said, smirking. "That just made my heart race." She said softly, shaking her head. "Hey, I try." He laughed, beginning to change clothes. As he was buttoning up his shirt, there was a knock on the door. "You can come back in now." He said, glancing up to see Elizabeth. "Oh, Elizabeth. Sorry. I um... Thought you were Megan." He said, hearing Haley's talking stop through the phone, she was probably listening to the conversation, but the dead silence worried him. "Oh!" Elizabeth said, her eyes glued on Nathan's chest as he quickly finished buttoning up his shirt. "I'm just finishing up this call, go ahead and get ready to start." Nathan said quickly, sitting down and sighing when the door shut. "Please tell me you had clothes on." Haley said on the other side of the phone. "I told them to come in, Hales. I thought it was Megan, I wouldn't just tell her to come in if I wasn't wearing clothes." He said, laughing quietly. "My shirt was unbuttoned." He yawned, rubbing his eyes. "Damn." She said, sighing. "Baby, I gotta go. I wish I could keep talking." He said, sighing heavily. Haley frowned, "Okay, I love you Nathan." She said quietly. Nathan smiled, "I love you too, Hales. I'll talk to you later." He said, hanging up the phone and walking out.

At around six o'clock at night, Nathan had made spaghetti for dinner, with the help of Megan. "Look at how successful we are." He said, gesturing to the meal. "We made this." He laughed, smiling. "Oh, bravo. You made spaghetti." Megan said sarcastically. Nathan looked up when he heard his name come from the TV. He hurried into the living room, letting out a deep sigh. Nathan looked at the TV, seeing pictures of himself from Chicago, him and Haley in the airport, but a particular picture caught his attention. Haley sitting a bar with a drink in her hand, and some guy's hand on her waist. "Well, well! What do we have here?" The reporter on the TV said. "Things just keep heating up, more and more. Nathan and Haley Scott have done their best to stay out of the spotlight the past few years. Especially after the kidnapping of Scott a few years back. But over the past month, they've been popping up a lot. The rumors started when Nathan Scott was seen in Chicago with his brother Lucas Scott, as well as a few others. So many pictures appeared with him and several different women. The couple then was seen at an airport about a week ago, boarding a plane to Hawaii with Nathan's family, and boy did they look unhappy! The two weren't even standing next to each other, and they barely spoke. The photos of them in Hawaii seemed happy. Haley James Scott had posted a picture of them on top of a mountain, so it appeared that things had worked themselves out." Nathan sat down, letting out a deep breath as it continued. "I wish that it ended there, but they were seen again in the airport just yesterday, looking very unhappy. They seemed to be in an intense conversation, a bystander told us. Yikes. But wait, there's still more; Last night, Haley Scott appeared at a party with Mia Catalano, and she had no problem with men getting friendly with her. There were pictures posted online of several different guys with their arms around her, and some they were even kissing her cheek. Wow. We've expected things like this from Nathan, but not from her. A source says that several men had bought her drinks that night, and there was one that she appeared very happy with. He was getting close and very touchy. Boy, I'd hate to be Nathan Scott right now." The man laughed, shaking his head. "There were pictures that surfaced this morning of Nathan out with someone we have identified as his step sister, at Karen's Cafe this morning. Nathan was seen holding hands with Brooke Davis, also the two were photographed hugging and whispering to each other. They look very playful and happy. I can't wait to see how this turns out. What will happen with Brooke and Julian Baker? What about Nathan and Haley Scott? We'll let you know soon."


	17. Chapter 17

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 17**

"Well that was unexpected." Megan said after a moment of silence. "I did not expect Haley to be the cheater out of you two. Maybe you both cheated on each other and you can just forgive and forget and go back to singing songs and pouring pancake batter on each other." Nicole said, smirking slightly. "Dad?" Jamie asked, looking over at his father, who was leaning against the couch and looking at the TV with a concerned face. Jordan looked over at Nathan, sighing softly. "I'm sure it's not true." She reassured her step-brother. "You're 13, Jordan. You still believe that the world is good and everyone is nice to each other, but that isn't how it works." Nicole said, shaking her head. Jordan shook her head, standing up. "It's better than what you believe." She grumbled, walking up the stairs. "Nathan?" Megan asked softly, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Why does she look so friendly with that guy?" Nathan asked after a second. Megan took a step back at the clouded look in his eyes, frowning. "Nate, don't play into the game. We all know it's not what it looks like." She said, rubbing his should softly. "It might be." Nicole said, smirking. "Nicole, go away." Megan snapped to her, shaking her head and watching her stalk off to her room. Jamie stood up slowly, "Dad, think about it. It's mom." He said, sighing softly. "You're right." Nathan said after a second, "I'm going to go... Take a drive. Clear my head a little bit. Jamie, I'll be back soon. Can you make sure that Lydia gets in bed by eight if I'm not home by then?" He said. Jamie looked up at him and frowned, "Yeah, sure." He said quietly. "I'll be back." Nathan said, rushing out to the garage. "Well, this isn't good." Megan sighed, looking at Jamie. Jamie sighed softly, shaking his head. "It's not true though." He said, before hurrying up the stairs.

Nathan drove around for a little while, before pulling up in front of the river court. He picked up a basketball out of the back seat, walking onto the court. He spun the ball in his hands, closing his eyes and sitting on the picnic table. Nathan looked down at his phone when it began to vibrate, seeing Haley's picture pop up. He quickly ignored the call, shaking his head and sighing deeply. "It's not true." He mumbled to himself. After awhile of silence, he heard a voice behind him. "It's not true, you know. Haley would never do that to you." Brooke said, moving to sit next to him. "People make up things, Nathan. We were on there, and they took something that was totally platonic and friendly and made it seem like we were screwing around behind her back too." She said, smiling at him. "I know, I know. This is just the first time there's been rumors about Haley, y'know? She's had to deal with me and my plethora of "lovers" but I've never had this happen." Nathan said, sighing softly. "I guess I never really understood until now. I mean, I know it's not true. But there's just a small part of me that wonders if it is." He said, looking up at the darkening sky. "Yeah, but it's not." Brooke said again. "Brooke, that's not helping. Why did she let those guys kiss her cheek?" He asked. "Oh for the love of- Nathan, she's a singer. People watch her perform, she has fans. I mean, maybe their dream was to kiss Haley James Scott. And she made it come true. Just be happy it wasn't on the lips for crying out loud." She said. Nathan looked down at his phone when it started to vibrate again, Haley's picture appearing once more. He ignored it again, sighing softly.

"Wanna play?" Brooke said after a minute, taking the ball from his hands. "You want to play one on one with me?" Nathan laughed, standing up. "Sure, why not?" She said, smiling. "I did learn a thing or two from dating Lucas, and from watching you play all these years." Brooke laughed, shooting the ball. Nathan watched as it went about two feet away from the basket, landing on the ground and rolling to the grass. "Swish?" He laughed, shaking his head and running over, picking up the ball. "Hey, that was pretty close." Brooke laughed. "Brooke, it didn't even touch the rim." Nathan said, shaking his head and shooting it into the hoop. "I'm pretty far away." She said, walking over to him, taking the ball and shooting it again. This time it rolled around the rim, before falling off. "Closer. I taught Haley to use the granny shot to her advantage, so maybe try that. You first. We'll play to... Eleven? Going by ones. Think you can take that?" Nathan laughed, shaking his head. Brooke nodded her head, rolling her eyes. Nathan passed her the ball, stepping back to let her move towards the basket a bit. He took a small step towards her after a second, before taking the ball from her hands. Nathan ran it outside the three point line, before dodging Brooke easily and driving to the basket, jumping up and dunking it in. "Oh, there is no way that is fair." Brooke protested, shaking her head. "That's what I would of done if I was playing against Lucas." He said, passing her the ball again. "No, nope. I don't want to play." She said, shoving it into his chest. "Oh come on, Brooke. Afraid of getting beat?" He teased her. Brooke shrugged, "You were in the NBA, Nathan. There wasn't even a chance I was going to win." She said, shaking her head. Nathan looked down as his phone vibrated again, sighing softly and ignoring the call for a third time. "She's coming home tomorrow, Nathan. You can't just ignore her forever." Brooke said to him, resting her hand on his shoulder. "I'm leaving tomorrow anyways, so I'm not going to see her until Tuesday. But I'm not planning on ignoring her calls until then. It's just hard." He said softly. Brooke smiled at him, "Hey, I'm team Haley in this, but you do what you need to do. Just don't make her suffer. I'm going to go home and call her though. She might not even know what's going on." She said, patting the side of his face. "You're a good guy, Nate. Haley is smart, and she loves you. This is just a big misunderstanding that everyone is using to get views. Now, I'm going to home to my hot husband, and post a picture of him and talk about how much I love him and how people need to f-off." Brooke laughed, hugging Nathan quickly. "I'll see you later, buddy." She smiled, getting in her car, waving at him and driving away. Nathan waved at her, sighing softly and sitting down again.

Nathan looked at his phone when another call came through, this time from Clay. "Hey Clay." He said. "Nathan, what's happening man? Quinn and I just watched some crazy stuff on the news." Clay asked. "Yeah, I don't know." Nathan said, sighing. "Have you talked to Haley?" He asked. "Not yet, I've been dodging her calls." Nathan replied, looking down at the ground. "Well, as your former agent, I strongly advise that you and her both keep a low profile over the next few days. Maybe don't go out with other people or alone? If you're going to go grocery shopping, go together. Things like that." Clay suggested. "Yeah, thanks Clay. I'm just trying to figure out what to say to her. I know it's not true, I know that. But what if it is?" Nathan asked into the phone. "I don't want to hear any of that crazy talk, Nate. It's Haley we're talking about. The girl who married you at sixteen. The girl who left a tour because she missed you." Clay said, sighing softly. "It's not true. It's just another rumor." He said. Nathan let out a deep breath, "But what if..." He began again. "Nate! Knock it off man. You know it's not true. You know that." Clay said to him. "You're in the news too, with a bunch of different girls. It's the same situation. Just breathe, Nathan. I feel like you're going to have a panic attack or something. Just calm down." He said. "Why was his hand on her waist like that? And why wasn't she pushing him off or looking annoyed?" Nathan asked, his tone becoming slightly angry. "Nathan, it's a picture. Maybe she pushed him off right after. I don't know, buddy. But calm down." He said. "I've gotta go. Logan isn't feeling too well, and I have to make sure he gets better before tomorrow." Clay said, "I'll see you tomorrow, buddy. Keep a clear head. She loves you, man. Bye." He assured his friend, before hanging up the phone. Almost as soon as the call ended, his phone vibrated again. Nathan looked down, seeing a text from his wife that said: 'You must be busy right now, but Mia's show is about to start so I'll call you after if you're still awake. Sleep well if I don't get the chance to talk to you! x' He let out a deep breath, sending her back the simple reply of 'K' before shoving his phone back into the pocket and picking up the basketball. He shot around for about another hour, before getting in the car and driving home.

Nathan walked into his house, glancing at the time. If was nearing 8 o'clock, and all he could do was hope that Lydia had gone to bed. He slowly trudged up the stairs, poking his head into his daughters room, seeing her sitting on the floor playing with her toys. He leaned against the door frame, listening as she was singing one of Haley's song. Nathan smiled slightly, "Hey you. Time for bed." He said softly. Lydia looked up at him, "Mommy is coming home tomorrow?" She asked. "Tomorrow, really late at night. So you probably won't see her until Friday. But Daddy is leaving tomorrow and Megan is going to pick you up from school! I gave her specific instructions to take you all to ice cream." Nathan said, kneeling down. Lydia nodded her head, "Okay, good. I like ice cream." She smiled. He laughed, kissing her forehead. "Come on, let's go get you ready for bed." He said, throwing her over his shoulder. After a quick bath, and forcing Nathan to read her a story, Lydia was out cold in her bed. "It amazes me how much you can sleep, kid." Nathan laughed, kissing her forehead, heading out of the room.

Nathan walked to Jamie's room slowly, knocking on the door. "Come in!" Jamie called out. He walked in slowly, "Hey Jame. Can we talk for a second?" Nathan asked, pushing his fingers through his hair. Jamie nodded, "If it's about mom, I know. I won't get into a fight tomorrow if anyone says anything to me. I know it's not true, Dad. I know it." He said. Nathan smiled at him, "Okay, I was just checking. Don't sleep in tomorrow. Go to bed before ten, okay? I mean it." He laughed. Jamie nodded his head, "Alright dad. Goodnight." He said, smiling. Nathan let out a deep breath, walking out of Jamie's room, into his own. He picked his laptop up off the dresser, sitting down on the bed. He plugged in his headphones, turning on some videos of the players that he was about to go watch play tomorrow.

At around three in the morning, he was still awake and having trouble sleeping, researching the players and rewatching the same videos over and over. Nathan looked at his phone when he got a text from Haley, accidentally opening it up. "Shit." He cursed. The plan had been to just fake asleep, but of course had to open it. Nathan tossed his phone to the side, shaking his head. 'Okay, I know you're awake. What's going on?' Haley sent him again. After a minute of no reply, she had texted him once again. 'Nathan.' He shook his head, sighing when she tried to call him. Nathan picked up his phone and charger, plugging it in across the room and going back to laying in bed and watching videos. He did eventually fall asleep, the videos still repeating over and over again.

Nathan sat up quickly when Jamie shook him awake, looking around the room. "Hey, Dad. Did you fall asleep watching those?" Jamie asked him, chuckling quietly. "Jamie, what time is it?" He asked quickly. "It's like 7, relax. I figured you would need more time today." His son laughed, nodding his head. "Megan is already getting Lydia ready, and I woke up Nicole and Jordan too." He said. "Jamie, you're my hero. Thanks man." Nathan said softly, rubbing his eyes. "Mom tried to call me fifteen times last night, Dad. All between the hours of three and five. I haven't answered her yet, because I don't really know what to say. But she texted me and asked to have you call her." Jamie said softly. "I'll call her. Just text her and say that you can't wait to see her, but don't say anything else." Nathan said, standing up. "I've gotta get ready. Thanks Jamie." He said. Jamie nodded, "Yeah, anytime. See you in a little bit." He said, heading out of the room. Nathan stood up, glancing over at his phone across the room, shaking his head. He walked into the bathroom, taking a quick shower.

After about a half hour later, Nathan was downstairs, wearing a navy blue suit with a white shirt and a gray tie, his phone tucked in his pocket, but he had yet to look at it this morning. "You look nice, Daddy." Lydia said, smiling at him. "Thank you. You look very beautiful as well, good job Megan." He hummed out, nodding at his step sister. "Thanks." Megan smiled, "You have to wear that stuff on the plane?" She laughed, nodding at him. "Sadly, yes. We're leaving straight from the airport. It'll be a quick flight though, so it's not too bad." Nathan laughed, tightening his tie. He looked up when he heard Nicole watching the news once again, glancing over at the TV. "This story just keeps getting better and better! I hate to say it, oh who am I kidding, I love to say it. It looks like things are heating up with Haley Scott and her mystery man. The two were spotted together again last night! The weird thing is, the shows that Catalano played were in different states, so why would this man come to both? We have a source that says he was seen getting on the bus with them, and he definitely isn't one of the crew members, we know that for sure. Yikes! I guess it's Splitsdale for the Scotts. We'll let you know more as soon as we do." The announcer said, before the channel changed. Nathan scowled, looking at the TV. "Who the hell is that guy, and why is he seen all over my wife?" He grumbled to Megan. "She's my wife. He doesn't get wrap his arm around her waist like that." He let out a deep breath, shaking his head. "Nate, don't get jealous over nothing, alright? He's just a fan, probably. The shows were in different states but they weren't that far from each other." Megan said, rubbing Nathan's arm softly. Nathan nodded his head, sighing heavily. He sat down at the bar, pouring himself some cereal. "You're right." He mumbled, staring down at his bowl. "I think she's cheating." Nicole said from her spot on the couch. "Look at that guy- he's hot. And his arm is not around her in a "Hey buddy, how's it going?" way, it's around her like "Hey baby, let's go back to my hotel room" type of way." She said. "What? No it isn't. What do you even know about that?" Megan laughed, rolling her eyes. "Hey, guys. There's kids in the room." Nathan grumbled, eating his cereal slowly. "Do you want me to call her?" Megan asked him. Nathan shook his head, "No. Brooke said she would already, but I doubt she'll be able to get through to her until later today." He said, sighing heavily. "Is everyone ready to go? We'll actually be on time today." He laughed. Nathan picked up Lydia, carrying her out to the car with everyone following behind him.

After dropping everyone off, Nathan pulled up in front of his office, seeing Clay, Quinn, Tami, and Elizabeth all standing in front of it. "Hey, Megan. Thanks so much for doing this today. I owe you big time. Here's my keys. If you need anything, just call me." He said, handing Megan the car keys. "Here's some money, too. Thank you so much." He said softly, giving her some money as well. Nathan got out of the car, meeting her half way around it. "Hey, don't stress too much, Nathan. She loves you. Anyone could see that." Megan said, hugging him quickly and getting in the drivers side of the car, waving at them and driving away. Nathan set his stuff in the trunk of Quinn's car, sighing softly. He looked down when he felt a pair of arms hugging him tightly, his eyes widening when he saw it was Elizabeth. "Oh, Nathan. I'm so sorry. I saw the news last night and this morning." She said, squeezing him tighter. Nathan let his arms hang at his side for a moment, before patting her back softly. "Uh... It's okay. Thanks." He said, looking at Quinn. Quinn shook her head and rolled her eyes, sighing softly. Nathan dropped his arms back to his side, sighing as Elizabeth hugged him for about a minute longer, before finally pulling away. Clay waved him over, laughing quietly. "Don't say anything, Clay." Nathan grumbled out. "Nathan, you look nice. A little tired." Quinn said, fixing Nathan's tie. "Yeah, well I've been dealing with some things since last night." He muttered. "Yeah, I tried to call her but she wasn't answering me. She texted me late last night and said that she was sorry that she didn't answer." Quinn said, smiling at him. "Yeah, did you see the news this morning?" Nathan asked her, scowling. "No, but I saw pictures on Twitter." Quinn sent him a sad smile. Nathan sighed heavily, "I just want to beat the shit out of that guy for touching my wife. I might sound possessive but she's my wife! She has been for a long time." He said, kicking his foot into the ground. "Come on, Nate. Guys trip. Let's just forget about the stress. In fact, don't even bring your phone." Clay laughed. Nathan shook his head, sighing. "That sounds tempting, but I better not. I haven't even looked at it this morning. She texted me last night around three and I accidentally opened it, so she knew I was awake." Nathan said, sighing. "Probably texted me after she was done with her boy toy." He grumbled. "Don't say things like that, Nathan. We all know Haley. Just- get in the car. We've got a plane to catch. Bye Tami, bye Elizabeth! Sorry for making you meet us here for like five minutes." Clay laughed, waving at them. Nathan got into the back of Quinn's car, letting out a deep breath. Nathan slowly pulled his phone out of his pocket, looking down at it. He had about twenty missed calls from Haley, and about ten texts from her. He shook his head, letting out a deep breath and leaning back in his seat.

"Nathan." Quinn said to him, shaking him awake. "Oh come on, we were in the car for like five minutes." She laughed. Nathan looked up at her, sighing softly. "Do you think Haley is cheating on me?" He asked her quietly. Quinn looked at him, pulling him out of the car and hugging him tightly. "You know, Nathan... I know she isn't. I know it." She said softly, smiling up at him. "So go on, have fun with Clay. Just make sure to be careful who you spend your time with." She smiled, straightening out his jacket. Nathan nodded his head, sighing and walking over and getting his bag out of the trunk. He waited while Clay said goodbye to Quinn, before the two of them headed into the airport. "You know that you can stay, Nathan. You can come join me tomorrow." Clay said softly. Nathan shook his head, "No. I'm your partner, Clay. I really need to clear my head a little bit. I just want to know who that little dickhead is." He grumbled out.

They were nearly at their gate, when Nathan heard someone shout his name. He turned to find Haley hurrying towards him. "Haley- What are you doing here? You should be with Mia." He said, glancing at Clay. "You scared the hell out of me, Nathan. You weren't answering me, Jamie wasn't answering me. No one!" Haley said, pushing him lightly. "I know you saw my text last night. What the hell has gotten into you?" She snapped to him. Nathan let out a deep breath, "Haley, I really don't want to do this right now. I have a plane to catch." He said softly, looking down. "No, we're doing this right now." Haley said, pushing him again. Clay looked at them, "Hey look! Vending machines. I'll be over there." He said, hurrying away. Haley brushed her fingers over the dark circles underneath Nathan's eyes, looking up at him. "Haley, I don't have time for this." He tried again. "No, buddy. You do. Why weren't you answering me?" She asked him. "You obviously haven't been keeping up with the news. I gotta go, Hales. I'll talk to you later." Nathan said, "Call Quinn, she might still be out there. Sorry you missed the show for me." He said softly, "Clay! Let's go!" He yelled to him. Haley frowned, "Nathan..." She said, watching him glance over his shoulder at her. "I gotta go, Haley. I promise I'll call you." He said, waving at her before rushing through his gate with Clay.

Nathan had ended up being right, Quinn was still out there. Haley walked out to her car, setting her bag in the back seat and getting in the front. "What happened?" Haley asked, frowning. "Brooke left me a cryptic message that said she had to talk to me, you tried to call me a bunch last night, Jamie wasn't answering my texts which is unusual because he knows that if he doesn't that I'll take his phone, and Nathan was totally freezing me out." She said, looking at her older sister. "Oh, Hales. You haven't been watching the news at all, huh?" Quinn said softly. "There have been a lot of rumors about you going around. I think Nathan is borderline ready to attack someone from jealousy, and ready to have a break down." She informed her. "Rumors? About what?" Haley frowned, sighing softly. "A lot of cheating rumors, on both ends. I think the whole world thinks that you two are calling it quits." Quinn said quietly. "What?" Haley asked her with wide eyes. "Yeah, there's been one guy in particular that you've appeared very cosy with, and well... You saw Nathan. It hasn't even been twenty-four hours, and he looks pretty tired." Quinn said, sighing. "There's rumors about him and Brooke too. Someone saw her hug him in the cafe or something, and now the pictures have gone viral." She said softly. Haley pulled out her phone, opening twitter and beginning to search 'Nathan Scott hugging-' she was cut off when she noticed a different topic that said 'Nathan Scott hugging new girl.' "Nathan Scott hugging new girl." She read out loud, clicking on one of the pictures. "These are from today." Haley frowned, looking at the pictures. "This is Elizabeth." She scowled, shaking her head. "Why is my husband hugging that tramp?" She looked at Quinn. "Oh, no, no. Haley, I was there for that hug and it was the most uncomfortable thing ever." Quinn said, sighing softly. "Okay, you two need to remember who you both are talking about. Haley, Nathan loves you so much. I mean, what is even going on? It's like we've taken a trip to crazy town." Quinn said, glancing over at her. "Okay, so the news brought up Chicago, then they said in the airport on the way to Hawaii you two were mad at each other, and then it talked about you two in the airport a couple days ago and you looked unhappy. But then they showed pictures of you with a bunch of different guys in a bar, and the pictures did make things look bad, Hales." Quinn said softly. Haley sighed, "I'm a mother, Quinn! My kids are going to see this stuff." She ran her fingers through her hair, letting out a deep breath. "Haley... I love you, you know that, right? But... You aren't cheating on Nathan, are you?" Quinn asked her quietly. Haley looked at her quickly, "No! Of course not. This is so stupid." She said, leaning back and covering her face. "Sorry, there's just been one guy in particular that you've been with two nights in a row even though the concerts were in different states." Quinn said, looking over at her sister. "Trevor?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows. "Trevor was one of the kids I tutored in high school! He was a freshman when I was a junior, and we ran into each other at Mia's concert. He lives in the second town, but was driving home so he stopped at the first concert as well." She said, shaking her head. "That explains it, doesn't it?" Quinn laughed. "As for the other guys... They were just taking pictures with me. Nathan should be the last person to jump to those conclusions." Haley said, sighing softly. "I'm sorry, Hales. You guys really don't deserve this. It's stupid." Quinn said, pulling up in front of the Scott household. "Yeah, well it's our own faults. I forget that we have to look happy all the time." Haley said, sighing softly. "I'm sure your kids will be glad to see you." She nudged her, smiling. "Yeah, I just wish my husband was." Haley rubbed her eyes, "You don't think he believes them, do you?" She asked. "Haley, this is the first time he's been on the receiving end of these rumors. I think deep down he knows that you'd never do this, but he's just scared for now." Quinn smiled at her.

"So I'm guessing you're going to be missing tonight's concert?" Quinn asked her, glancing over at her. "Yeah, I guess so." Haley said, looking over at the house. "Why?" Quinn asked. "Because one point in the day, Nathan is telling me how much he missed me, and then a few hours later he is ignoring my calls and texts and so was Jamie, and so was Megan. I knew something was wrong. I guess I was just acting on my instincts." Haley said, opening her door. "Do you want to come inside?" She asked her sister, sighing softly. "I do, but I can't. I have to go home and edit some pictures. Call me if you need anything, Hales. I'm sorry this is happening. I know that you guys have really been trying to lay low." Quinn said, smiling. Haley nodded her head, getting out of the car. "I love you, Quinn. I'll talk to you later, okay?" She said softly, getting out of the car. She grabbed her bag from the back seat, waving at her sister.

Haley walked inside her house slowly, noting the unfamiliar car that was sitting out front. She looked around the house, frowning slightly. After a minute or so, a tall guy with blonde hair came down the stairs, holding a lamp. He looked at her, "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" He questioned her, holding the lamp up. "I live here." Haley said, raising her eyebrows and taking a step back. "Gray, who is it?" She heard Megan's voice yell from up the stairs. "She says she lives here!" He replied. Megan came down the stairs quickly, "Haley! What are you doing home?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. "I was worried because none of you were answering my calls or texts." Haley said, frowning, nodding at Grayson. "Oh sorry, uh. This is my boyfriend Grayson." Megan replied, rubbing her neck. Grayson nodded at Haley, shaking her hand. "I'm just going to... Go put the lamp back." Grayson said, before heading up the stairs. Megan turned to look at Haley, sighing. "So?" She asked. "So what?" Haley frowned, raising her eyebrows. "Are you cheating on Nathan?" Megan asked her, shrugging. "Megan, of course I'm not. I wish that people would stop asking me that." Haley said, shaking her head and sighing. "Well then that's good enough for me." Megan said, hugging Haley quickly. "But if you didn't notice, I have a very sexy man waiting for me upstairs." She said, smirking slightly. "Yeah, okay. I don't particularly want to know that you're having sex in my house, but I'm going to head over to the cafe. I can pick everyone up too." Haley said, laughing quietly. "Okay, thanks Hales. I'll be around." Megan said, waving at her and heading upstairs.

Haley dropped her stuff on the couch, before driving over to Karen's Cafe. "Did someone order and absentee business partner?" She asked, laughing quietly. "Oh, hell yes I did." Brooke said, hurrying over and hugging her tightly. "How is everything going?" She asked softly. "Well, it could be better. What about you? You're kind of in the same boat as I am right now." Haley said, shaking her head. "Oh, I think I cleared up my side by cussing people out on social media." Brooke laughed. "I don't even understand what's happening. I didn't know about it until this morning when Quinn told me. I met Nathan in the airport and he brushed me off. I haven't seen him in like two days, and he barely said anything to me." Haley said, sitting down at a table, Brooke sitting across from her. "Why'd you come home so early? Doesn't Mia have another show tonight?" She asked. "Yeah, but you left me a message telling me that we needed to talk, and Quinn did too. No one at my house was answering me at all, so I got worried." Haley said softly, looking down at the table. She let out a deep breath, closing her eyes and standing up. "But I'm ready to work, so. Let's do this." She said, smiling at Brooke. Brooke nodded, walking behind the counter and tossing Haley an apron. "Let's do this, HJS." She said, smiling at her friend. "But I just want to let you know that I'm here for you, and that while you've been through this before, Nathan hasn't. But at least now you know what each other feels like when this happens." She said, shrugging. "Smart and beautiful. You've got it all, don't you Brooke Davis?" Haley laughed. Brooke hugged her again, "I'd say that I do." She laughed, smiling. "You and Nathan are going to be fine, Haley. You always are." She reminded her. Haley nodded her head, letting out a deep breath. "Alright, let's see if I still have it in me."

One text. The whole day. That's all she'd gotten. Six stupid letters. 'Landed.' That's all the text had said, and when she replied, he had just read it and never responded. The hours had passed by, and it was now about nine o'clock, and Haley was sitting on the couch next to Megan and Grayson, staring up at the TV. There was yet another story about her and Nathan playing on it. "The world must be going to an end for Naley fans. We are pretty sure the relationship is about to come an end. Let's just give a little back story on the couple. They were married in high school, when they were just sixteen years old. If you haven't read Lucas Scott's book, then you definitely should check it out because it gives a lot of insight into the relationship. Anyways, the couple met in their junior year of high school, and were married that same year. They have overcome so many things. The pair have two children together, and everyone was just biting their nails waiting for the news of another, but sorry to disappoint you Naley fans, it doesn't seem like it's going to happen. They've been married for nearly fifteen years now, and have tried to be fairly private about their lives, so people really jump at the opportunity to see them together and in love in public. In love. But lately, they haven't seemed like the happy and in love couple they usually are. Nathan Scott was involved in a scandal a few years back about him getting another woman pregnant. The rumors were proven false, but we couldn't help but think back to this moment. Nathan and Haley Scott have been seen looked very unhappy. They either look like they're fighting, or they look like they just don't want to be near each other. Take a look at this video a fan sent in this morning of them arguing in an airport. We can't hear what they're saying, but it looks heated. There is none of the usual affectionate touching that this couple is known for. No hug, nothing." The reporter said, the video appearing on the screen. "Oh, come on!" Haley said, sighing heavily. Once the video ended, it flashed back to the reporter. "They've been seen together in airports, but haven't gone together on any planes but one. This morning, there was also photos of Nathan Scott hugging a woman that we don't recognize, but just by looking at her, we know she would fit his type. Maybe the next baby won't be Naley's? Nathan is with his former agent, Clay Evans, right now. Evans also happens to be his brother-in-law, as he is married to Haley's sister. I do hope that this won't cause drama between the families. But let me just tell you right now, I wouldn't be surprised if the divorce papers popped up. At least Brooke Davis denied her scandal right off the bat, going to social media to deny that she was seeing anyone but her husband, film director Julian Baker. This is all I've got for you today, folks. But stayed tuned." He said. Megan turned off the TV, frowning at Haley. "Have you talked to Nathan?" She asked quietly. Haley looked over at her, shaking her head. "Nope." She said softly, standing up and sighing. "I'm sorry, Haley. I wish there was something I could do." Megan said, resting her hand on Haley's arm. "No, it's fine. It's not your fault at all." Haley replied, "Will you two make sure you turn off all of the lights when you head upstairs?" She asked. Megan looked over at Grayson, nodding.

Haley walked up the stairs slowly, running her fingers through her hair. She looked into Lydia's room to make sure she was alright, then poked her head into Jamie's room. "Not too late, Jamie." She said to him. Jamie looked at her, and nodded his head. "Okay, Mom." He said softly, turning his attention back to the playstation. Haley shook her head, sighing softly and heading into her own room. She slowly began to get ready for bed, her eyes looking at her phone about every minute, just waiting. The hour ticked by, and there was no word from her husband. At about 10:30, her phone started to vibrate. She looked down and let out of a breath of relief when Nathan's picture appeared on the screen. Haley quickly picked up her phone, "Nathan." She said, smiling slightly. "Hey. So, I just wanted to tell you goodnight." Nathan said quietly into the phone. "Don't hang up, please. I've been waiting for you to call me all day." She said quickly. "I've been busy, Haley. I have a job, you know." He replied. "Nathan stop giving me the cold shoulder, you've been doing it since last night." She sighed. "Yeah, well. I've got a lot to deal with." He said in return. "You don't actually think these are true, do you?" Haley asked him. "I don't know. I guess I don't really believe it." Nathan said quietly. "Nathan, please. Fifteen years. Remember that. I've been through it all with you. Don't give up on us because some stupid rumors." She begged him. "Woah, Haley. Woah. I'm not going to give up on us. That was never part of the plan. I don't know who these people are, thinking they can say that we're getting divorced, because we aren't." He said quickly. "Who's the guy?" Nathan asked after a minute of silence. "What guy?" Haley frowned. "The one in all of the pictures with you. He's touching you a lot." He grumbled out. "Oh, that's Trevor." Haley said softly. "Trevor." Nathan grumbled out. "Am I going to get more than that? Or do I not want to know?" He said in a bitter tone. "Nathan, he was a freshman when we were juniors. I tutored him." Haley reassured him. "Okay, that doesn't mean anything to me. He still has his arm around you, and he touches you in ways that I don't want him to." Nathan muttered. "Hey. Baby, calm down. He's just someone I haven't seen in a long time." Haley said softly. "Oh, sorry. I didn't realize that if we haven't seen them in a long time, then it's okay to sleep with them!" He snapped. "I did not sleep with him, Nathan! And frankly, I don't like that you're accusing me of it." Haley said to him, scowling. "Well, you guys look pretty friendly!" Nathan replied. "Oh, I'm sorry? Are you sleeping with Elizabeth? Or Brooke? Because you're hugging them in pictures too." She said, rolling her eyes. "Don't do that, Haley." Nathan grumbled. "Why not, Nathan? There's rumors against both of us! So why am I the only one that's being accused of something?" Haley asked him. "Dammit, Haley. I'm done with this conversation. Goodnight." He said, quickly hanging up the phone. Haley let out a deep breath, setting her phone down on the bed, closing her eyes and falling into a restless sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Okay, another update today. Never fear, Naley will make up soon enough. Or will they?**

 **Chapter 18**

The next few days had consisted of Nathan texting Haley when his plane landed, and he would say goodnight to her every time he went to bed, and that was all their conversations had been. No phone calls, nothing. It had been miserable for both of them, and everyone around them knew it. It didn't help that Nicole was constantly watching the news, just dying to get the latest story. Nathan had been out with Clay a lot, but he'd also been very careful not to do anything that would get him in trouble. But on Monday night, he'd gotten in a fight. Haley wasn't exactly sure what happened, but it was fairly late when Clay had called and told her that he was sending him home immediately and decided that he would finish the scouting alone. So here Haley was, standing in a nearly empty airport at four in the morning, waiting for her husband to meet here after his flight landed. She brushed her fingers through her hair, letting out a deep breath and tightening her jacket around her. Her breath hitched in her throat when she saw Nathan walking towards her. "You didn't have to come get me, y'know. I could of taken a cab." Nathan said softly, looking down at her. Haley sent him an annoyed look, "Nathan, you know that we're trying to teach our son that fighting isn't okay, right?" She said, shaking her head. "Oh come on, Haley. It was barely a fight. The authorities didn't even get involved, which is more than I can say for you. What is it Brooke calls you... Jaily?" He grumbled. Haley let out a deep breath, "Okay, whatever. Did your mother tell you what's been going on?" She asked him. "I haven't been taking any calls unless they were from Jamie or colleges." Nathan said to her, adjusting his bag on his shoulder. "There's been a huge storm in Hawaii, so their flight got postponed until Wednesday. So they're kids are still at our house." Haley informed him, walking out to the car. "Great, just what I wanted to hear. My mom gets an extra week in Hawaii, and I get to come home to her husband's annoying ass kids." He muttered. "Nathan! Really? Just be decent. And I'm covering up that bruise. We don't want Jamie to see it." She mumbled. "I'll drive." Nathan said, holding out his hand for the keys. "No. You've been drinking." She said, letting out a deep sigh. "Like six hours ago, Haley." He said, shaking his head. "Just stop being so difficult, Nathan! Get in the car and shut up." Haley snapped to him, getting in the driver's seat. Nathan let out a deep sigh, throwing his stuff in the back and getting in. "How's Trevor?" He asked in a slightly sour tone. Haley looked over at him, rolling her eyes. "What?" She asked. "You heard me. How's he doing?" Nathan grumbled out. "I don't know, Nathan. Why don't you ask him?" She said, scowling. "I don't have his phone number, can I borrow it from you?" He asked. Haley pulled her phone out of her pocket, throwing it at him. "Be my guest." She muttered. "Hey, don't throw things." Nathan grumbled, setting her phone in a cup holder. "You know what I don't get? When you get in fights, I compliment you and tell you it's hot, but when I get in fights, you get mad at me." He muttered. "Oh, sorry. Did I forget to mention how much being called in the middle of the night to find out you got in a fight turns me on? My mistake." Haley said sarcastically, shaking her head. Nathan sighed heavily, looking out the window, resting his head on the glass.

The rest of the drive was dead silent, not one of them made a noise. Haley pulled into the garage, getting out of the car quickly, and heading inside. Nathan followed after her, letting out a deep breath. "Haley." He said, brushing his fingers through his hair. Haley turned to look at him, letting out a sigh. "What, Nathan?" She asked him. "Is Trevor upstairs? I noticed an unfamiliar car outside." He said, crossing his arms. Haley let out a laugh, shaking her head. "You're unbelievable, Nathan! I can't believe that you'd even ask me that." She said. "Well? You didn't answer my question." He said, narrowing his eyes. "What? You have no faith in me? This is great, Nathan. Fifteen years of nothing but faithfulness, and after one damn news report, you flip yourself upside down!" She snapped to him. "Answer my question." Nathan said, shaking his head. "No! That's Megan's boyfriend! You're acting like Dan right now!" Haley replied, and without realizing it, they were both screaming at each other, faces inches from each other. The only thing that brought them out of their trance, was creaking on the stairs, and Jamie walking out slowly. "Jamie." Nathan said softly, staring at him. "Uh, hey." Jamie replied, looking at them with wide eyes. "Jamie, what are you doing awake?" Haley asked him softly, moving over and leaning against the counter. "The real question is how is no one else awake?" Jamie grumbled out, sitting at the bar. "Sorry." Nathan said softly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Just tell me." Jamie said quietly, resting his elbows on the counter top, leaning on his hands. "Tell you what?" Haley asked in a confused voice, raising her eyebrows. "Just tell me that you're getting divorced. I can handle it." He said softly, looking at them. Nathan and Haley looked at each other quickly. "Oh, buddy. No, no, no. We aren't getting divorced." Haley said, rushing around the counter and hugging him. "You and Dad haven't even been talking, and when you finally are, you're yelling at each other at four in the morning." Jamie said softly. "Woah, woah. James. We aren't getting divorced." Nathan said quietly, looking at Haley and letting out a deep breath. "I promise you, son. We're never getting divorced." He said softly. Haley closed her eyes, resting her chin on Jamie's head, hugging him close to her. Jamie hugged her tightly, before pulling away. "Fix yourselves, then." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "And please stop shouting." Jamie added, before hurrying up the stairs.

After a minute of silence, Haley looked over at Nathan, who was staring down at the countertops, the most heartbreaking look on his face. "We'll talk about this tomorrow, alright? When there's no one around but us." She said softly, reaching her hand out slowly, resting it on top of his. Nathan nodded his head, closing his eyes. "Yeah, okay." He said quietly, taking her hand in his. "Do you want me to sleep in one of the guest rooms?" He asked her, looking up. "No, Nathan. That's alright." Haley said softly, squeezing his hand. "I'm going to go up now, though." She mumbled, heading up the stairs. Nathan stared down at his hands, sighing at the empty feeling he had. He brushed his fingers through his hair, before gently rubbing his hand over the bruise on his cheek.

A few minutes later, Nathan slowly headed up the stairs, poking his head into Lydia's bedroom, as well and Jamie's, finding them both asleep. He let out a deep breath, pushing open the doors to his and Haley's room, walking in slowly. His gaze shifted to where his wife was laying in bed, letting out a sigh. Nathan gathered up some clothes, walking into the bathroom. He pulled off his shirt, looking at the bruises on his stomach and sides, closing his eyes and shaking his head. He took a quick shower, before walking back into the bedroom. He slowly went over and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking down at Haley, hesitating for a second, before gently brushing some of her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. Nathan slowly lifted up the covers, climbing underneath them, trying to shake the bed as little as possible. He looked at Haley for a second, before rolling onto the side that was facing away from her, attempting to fall asleep. But all he could do was think about what his son had just asked them. Nathan let out a deep sigh, coming to a realization. He had been overreacting. Very badly. Jealousy had compelled him to lash out at the one person he needed most in this world. Jealousy had caused him to force her away. She had almost always been understanding towards him, after the whole Renee incident, every other situation that he had been in that was similar to this one, she had just known that he was being honest with her. She really was the stronger person in their relationship. The thought of another guy stealing her from him, made his blood boil. But as Nathan now understood, and as he should of always understood; she wasn't going to leave him for another guy.

Nathan looked over his shoulder at her, and really studied her. The face he woke up to every morning looked... Sad. Tired an sad. It broke his heart, because he knew that it was his fault. It had crushed him when Haley thought he was being unfaithful, yet here he was, doing the same to her. Her sleeping posture didn't seem relaxed, but stressed, like any little noise could wake her up at any second. And even in this state, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his whole entire life. Nathan let out a deep breath, getting out of bed slowly. He had a lot of making up to do, and not a lot of time. He quickly pulled some shoes on, and hurried out of the room, running down the stairs and picking up his car keys. Nathan glanced towards the stairs, then at the time. 5:30 AM. He probably had an hour to work before he needed to make sure that he was back in bed. He let out a deep breath, rushing out to his car, quickly driving away.


	19. Chapter 19

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 19**

Nathan had slipped back into bed at about 6:55, a little later than he had planned. He predicted that Haley would wake up in the next five or ten minutes to get the kids up. He let out a deep breath, twirling his wedding ring around his finger for a second, looking over at her, before rolling onto his side facing away from her once again, shutting his eyes. As predicted, Haley got up at about seven. She got out of bed very carefully, trying not to wake up Nathan. Haley walked out of the room quietly, heading to Jamie's room and waking him up quickly, before walking to Lydia's room and waking her up. She woke up Jordan next, then Nicole. Haley walked into the kitchen, ready to make breakfast, but she stopped in her tracks. Haley stared around the kitchen, a confused look on her face. There was a bouquet of roses on the counter, as well as a stack of pancakes sitting on the counter. She took a small step forward, looking down at them and shaking her head, smiling slightly. There was a heart made out of raspberries on top, with 'H+N' written in the middle with chocolate syrup. She picked up the note that was in between the plate and the flowers, recognizing the handwriting as Nathan's. 'Always & Forever' he had written in it. Haley rested the note against her heart, biting her lip and closing her eyes for a second.

Nicole walked out a few minutes later, raising her eyebrows at Haley. "Could you two have been any louder last night? You were so close to my door, I mean... Come on." She grumbled. Haley shook her head, sighing softly. "Nicole, trust me. Life isn't terrible enough to be bitter all the time." She said, shrugging. Nicole rolled her eyes, sitting down, getting herself some pancakes that were off to the side. Haley smiled slightly, looking down at her specially made food once again, pulling the roses closer to it, taking a picture of everything together. Nathan walked down the stairs, rolling up the sleeves of his button up shirt, "Hey, Hales. Why don't you go back upstairs and go to sleep? I can take it from here." He said softly, resting his hand on her shoulder lightly. Haley looked up at him, "It's okay, Nathan, I can-" Nathan cut her off, shaking his head, "I insist. Go." He said, nodding towards the stairs. Haley nodded slowly, headed towards the stairs, only to be stopped when Lydia launched herself into Nathan's legs. Nathan looked down at her, smiling. "Hey you." He said, picking her up. "Why don't you go eat some pancakes?" He said, setting her down in a chair next to Nicole. Haley picked up the flowers, sucking in a deep breath and nodding at Nathan. "Alright, thank you." She said quietly, "Just... Put the food in the fridge?" She suggested. Nathan nodded his head, smiling at her. Haley headed up the stairs, passing Jamie on the way. She grabbed his arm, kissing his head. "I love you, Jamie." She said softly. Jamie nodded his head, before hurrying back down. Haley walked their bedroom, finding a dress and another bouquet of roses on the bed. She raised her eyebrows, smiling slightly. Haley picked another note that he had left, this one reading 'You're the most beautiful woman in the world, and you definitely know how to pick your friends. Brooke Davis was kind enough to help me with this at five in the morning. Put it on, I'll be back to pick you up after I drop everyone off.' Haley smiled brightly, brushing her fingers through her hair, picking up the dress and walking into the bathroom.

Nathan looked at Jamie, pulling him aside for a second. "Hey. Thank you for yelling at us last night, Jamie. You basically knocked some sense into me. I'm working on it." He said, smiling. Jamie nodded up at his father, "I hope that everything ends up okay, dad." He said softly. Nathan nodded, squeezing Jamie's shoulder. "I love you, son." He said. Jamie nodded his head, "I love you too, Dad." He replied. Nathan smiled at him, before walking over to Lydia. At about eight o'clock, everyone was loaded into the car. Nathan checked the time repeatedly throughout the drive. He quickly dropped everyone off at school, driving to his office after. He walked in quickly, hurrying to his office and changing into a dark gray suit, putting on a light blue tie. He let out a deep breath, hurrying out of his office, getting in his car quickly and beginning to drive home. Haley was standing in their bedroom, looking down at the roses and the notes. She really had no idea what was going on, but she definitely was not going to argue with it. She stepped out of the room, looking over and spotting Megan. "Haley!" Megan said, rushing over to her. "What happened last night? Are you guys okay?" She asked her quickly. Haley sighed softly, "We were screaming, I'm sure we woke you up." She said softly. Megan nodded her head, "Yeah, well... You guys weren't yelling for too long." She shrugged. Haley sighed, "Jamie thinks we're getting divorced." She mumbled. Megan frowned, "Poor kid. Poor you guys, I feel bad." She said softly. "Don't feel bad. We brought it on ourselves. Just spend time with Grayson." Haley said, rubbing her shoulder for a second.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Haley frowned slightly, raising her eyebrows. She headed for the door quickly, pulling it open to find her husband standing there, with yet another bouquet of roses. "You look beautiful." Nathan said softly to her, smiling. Haley sent him a small smile, stepping outside. He had switched out his car, so he was now driving Haley's. He quickly pulled open the passenger door, helping her into the car before rushing to the driver's side. Nathan got into the car quickly, driving to the first stop on his list; the River Court. He pulled up next to it, getting out slowly and rushing to her door, pulling it open. Nathan walked over to the picnic table, holding up more roses. "This... This is the first place I ever played basketball against Lucas. I had no idea that one day, I would be owing my whole entire life to him. I had no idea that he would become my brother. You are the determining factor in ever aspect of my life, Haley. I never would of attempted anything with Lucas if it wasn't for you. And if I never would of played basketball against him on this court, we probably would of gone through life without talking to each other." Nathan said softly, handing Haley the roses. Haley looked up at him, biting her lip softly. "Don't say anything yet, Haley." He said quietly, helping her back into the car. He then drove them to the high school, looking around. "Okay, this one is going to be a little bit trickier." Nathan said softly, hurrying out of the car and opening her door. "It's easy to get in, but I don't want Principal Buttkiss to see us." He chuckled, offering her his arm. After a moment of hesitation, Haley linked arms with him, following him towards the school. Nathan pulled the key out of his pocket, unlocking the side doors quietly. He looked around the empty halls, pulling her into the tutor center. Haley looked at Nathan and raised her eyebrows. There was four kids in there, and all of their heads turned to them. "Uh- Hey." Nathan laughed, waving his hand. "Just keep on doing what you're doing." He said, smiling at them. He turned towards Haley, picking up yet another bouquet of roses. "This is where we were the first time I spoke to you." He said, gesturing around the room. "This is the room we spent countless hours in, because I needed a lot of help. You started out as my tutor, then you became my friend, Haley. The one person I could open up to. This is where our love grew. Well- not just here, but still." Nathan said softly. "I owe you so much for giving me an amazing life, Haley James Scott." He said, looking at her. Haley smiled up at him for a second, resting her hand on his cheek, gently brushing her thumb over his cheek bones. They were lost in each other, until one of the kids sneezed and brought them back to their attention. "Well, sorry guys. Have a good time studying!" Nathan laughed, waving at them. He grabbed Haley's hand, poking his head out into the hall, rushing outside, tugging her along with him.

"Okay, the next place won't be a surprise, I'm sure." Nathan said, glancing over at his wife, who was beginning to look covered in roses. Haley looked at him, "Nathan, I..." She began. "No, Haley. Don't say anything. I'm an ass. Just let me try and make it up to you." He said quietly, focusing his attention on the road. Haley nodded her head slowly, looking up to see the docks. She smiled slightly, shaking her head while Nathan rushed around the car to open her door. She accepted his hand when he held it out to her, standing up slowly. Nathan led her to the table that they'd become so familiar with over the years, sitting down. "Okay, this one was probably the hardest one to do, because I had to do a lot of digging, and it was a little loud." He said, picking up a bouquets of roses, handing them to her. "What do you mean?" Haley asked him, raising her eyebrows. Nathan let out a deep breath, reaching his hand into his jacket pocket, pulling out the little plastic bracelet he had given her so long ago. Haley covered her mouth, tears beginning to well in her eyes. "Where did you find that?" She asked him softly. "It was not easy, let me tell you. Especially because I had a short amount of time." He said softly. Nathan looked at her, gently reaching out and grabbing her hand. He slid the bracelet onto her wrist, before enclosing her hand in his, kissing her knuckles softly. "Don't say I never gave you anything." He added, sending her a cheeky wink. Haley smiled at him, wiping away the tears that had escaped her eyes. They sat there for a minute in silence, not an awkward one, just silence. Nathan stood up, pulling her to her feet. "Come on." He said, kissing her forehead. Haley looked at him, smiling. "Nathan, this is-" "No, Haley. Don't say anything please." He said quickly, chuckling. Haley nodded her head, looking up at him. Nathan led her back to the car, helping her in.

The two drove in silence, until Nathan pulled up in front of his parent's old house, looking up at it. "Wow, it's been a long time since I've been here." He said softly, rubbing his neck. "Well- technically I guess I was here this morning." He chuckled, before getting out of the car and helping her out. Haley looked up at it, "We're not going to break in, are we?" She laughed. Nathan shook his head, "No, unfortunately not. But these are for you." He said, picking up more roses. Haley smiled at him, biting her lip. "Okay, well... This is where Brooke screwed up our little thing we had going. I was pissed at her that night. But remember the note you wrote to me? You told me that you believed in me. And I believed that you did. Every day, Haley. You believe in me. You let me go out into the world for one, and I'm a train wreck. You believed in me when no one else ever has. So thank you so much for that." Nathan said softly, nodding down at her. Haley wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "This is also the place where we had sex on my car. If it was raining, I'd suggest we try it again on your car, but..." He laughed. Haley rolled her eyes, pushing him softly. Nathan smiled down at her, pulling open the car, "Mrs. Scott." He hummed, nodding into the car. Haley smiled at him, before climbing into the car. Nathan looked up at the house for another second, before running around and getting into the car. He looked over at her, laughing quietly. "Would you like to put some of those in the trunk?" He asked her. Haley shook her head, "Not yet." She replied, smiling at him.

Nathan drove until he pulled up in front of a restaurant, looking over at his wife. "Okay, I was going to try to make a reservation, but... They don't serve lunch. So anyways, come on." He said, climbing out quickly. He walked around to her door, helping her out. "So. This is the place where we had our first date, as you know. After Brooke screwed it up, she helped me fix it, but I screwed it up again. I look back and think about it all the time. I wish I would of just been able to tell that kid to man up and tell Tim to truth." He said, sighing softly. But thankfully, you gave me a second chance. You always give me another chance." Nathan whispered, holding out some roses to here. "Here you are, m'lady. This one has an extra rose. Because second chances." He laughed. Haley smiled up at him, resting her hand on his shoulder, "I don't regret it. Not even a little bit." She said softly. Nathan nodded his head in reply, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath. "Good." He said softly. "Okay, hotshot. Where's the next stop?" She laughed, blinking up at him. Nathan grinned at her, "I thought you'd never ask." He hummed, leading her back into the car.

Nathan drove for awhile, pulling up in front of his family's old beach house. He got out of the car quickly, helping Haley out as well. "Okay, I brought you here for one reason, and one reason only." He said, smirking slightly. He handed her the flowers that were on the front step, looking up at the house. "This is where you threw up on my dad." He said, bursting into laughter. Haley laughed quietly, pushing him softly. "Come on, can't we pick a different memory?" She laughed. "Not a chance, Haley. That was amazing." He said, smiling at her. "That was when you convinced me to cut school." She said, shrugging. "I know, I turned you into a rebel." He said softly, kissing her head. "You amaze me so much, Haley. You're always surprising me." Nathan mumbled, looking at her. Haley smiled up at him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Come on, let's go." He said, leading her into the car, getting in the driver's side and driving away.

Nathan pulled up in front of Karen's Cafe next, getting out quickly and hurrying to Haley's door. He grabbed onto her hand, pushing open the door, holding it for her. Haley looked around the usually fairly busy cafe. The lights were low, candles set up everywhere. "Table for two?" Brooke's voice laughed, smirking at the couple. "Brooke..." Haley trailed off, "Hey, don't worry about it. Nathan just owes me." She said, smiling. Haley nodded her head, letting Brooke guide them over to a table. Nathan pulled out Haley's chair for her, before sitting down across from her. "I know we eat here all the time, but there's memories involved in this place too. This is where you first sang to me, and I loved it. It felt like we had this super personal connection. We had both opened up to each other." He said softly, reaching across the table and grabbing her hand. "You make me happier than anyone ever could, Haley James." He said softly, kissing her hand. Haley smiled at him, squeezing his hand lightly. "Thank you, Nathan." She said quietly. "Your food is ready." Brooke said, setting down Mac and cheese in front of both of them. "I'm never going to live this one down, hm?" Haley laughed, gesturing to the food. "Hey, it's growing on me too." Nathan chuckled, smiling at her. They ate their food, talking about high school. After about an hour, Nathan stood up. He helped Haley to her feet, "Thank you, Brooke! Anything you need, call me." He said softly. Brooke nodded at them, waving. "I need you two to be happy again, so fix if." She laughed, walking away. Nathan linked his arm with Haley's leading her out to the car, handing her yet another bouquet of roses.

After driving for a couple minutes, they ended up back at the beach again. "So, I know that they messed it all up. But here it is. The place where we got married. It doesn't look the same, but it's still just as special." He said quietly, getting out and helping her out. He handed her more roses, winking at her. "This is my favorite wedding, just saying. I like the other one, but this is so... Special." He said, shrugging his shoulders. Nathan kissed her cheek, letting out a deep breath. "You make me fall more in love with you all the time. I thought I loved you back then, but that kid didn't even know love." He said softly, hugging her close to him. Haley smiled up at him, pressing her face into his shoulder. "Thank you, Nathan." She whispered, letting out a deep breath. "Oh, I'm not done." He said, smiling at her and grabbing her hand, pulling her back to the car.

After driving for a few minutes, they ended up in front of her old house. Nathan let out a deep breath, climbing out of the car quickly, hurrying around to her side and pulling open the door. He handed her the roses that were sitting on the front porch. "This... This is the spot where we kissed for the first time. I know I've been doing it sort of in order, but this one messes it up." He said, laughing. "You told me that there was nothing I could do to surprise you, and I just went for it." Nathan said, smiling at Haley. He grabbed her had, taking a few steps back. "This is where I waited in the rain for you, asking you for forgiveness." He said quietly, rubbing his neck. "And this house is the place I proposed to you for the first time, the place where your parents gave us permission to get married. This house, is so much more than just a house." Nathan said, glancing up at it. He smiled at her, sucking in a deep breath. "This is also the place, where I ask you to forgive me for being an ass once again. I don't know what I was thinking, Haley. I'm an idiot. A jealous idiot. I'm just so in love with you, it hurts to see other guys with their arms around you, and I just-" "Just kiss me already, Nathan. I know that you want to." Haley said quickly. Nathan wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, kissing her. She dropped the flowers on the ground, bringing her hands up to rest on the sides of his face, holding onto him tightly. He lifted her up off the ground a little bit, smiling once she started laughing. After a minute, he pulled away, setting her down and resting his forehead on hers. "I'm so sorry, Haley." He whispered, pulling her closer to him. "We both said things that we shouldn't of." She replied, brushing her fingers over the stubble on his face. "I know, but I started it." Nathan said softly, looking down at her. "I love you, Nathan Scott." Haley whispered, kissing him again. "I love you too." He mumbled, glancing up at the house, seeing a little girl staring out the window at them. He waved at her, laughing quietly. "Well, let's get out of here." Nathan said, pulling Haley back to the car, helping her into it. "Where to next?" She asked him. "Well, I thought we'd-" Nathan began, Haley cutting him off. "Take me home." She said, winking up at him and tugging on his tie. "Hey, that works too." Nathan laughed, getting into the car.

Three hours later, they were laying in bed, Nathan was asleep and snoring quietly, making Haley laugh. She lifted up her phone, taking a video of him, smiling. She let out a deep breath, deciding to show everyone that they were happy, posting it on Instagram with the caption ' "I told you, Hales, I don't snore." Yeah right, Nathan, yeah right. ' She chuckled at herself, smiling over at Nathan. Haley glanced at the time, sighing softly. She needed to get out of bed and go pick up the kids. She gently brushed her fingers over Nathan's face, taking a second to examine the bruises on his face and torso. Haley sighed softly, kissing him softly, resting her forehead on his. She slowly began to move out of the bed, only to be stopped by Nathan's tight grip wrapping around her waist, pulling her to him. "No." He mumbled, holding onto her tightly. Haley laughed quietly, "I have to get the kids, baby. And you need to be dressed by the time they get back." She said softly, brushing her fingers through his hair. Nathan pouted, blinking his eyes open and looking at her. "I don't want to get dressed. I don't want you to get dressed either. I want you to stay in bed with me." He mumbled. "Oh yeah? And we'll just let our kids find their own way home?" She asked, laughing. "They can figure it out." He mumbled, cuddling against her. Haley looked at him, "Tempting. But I don't think so." She laughed, slowly climbing out of bed. Nathan sighed, watching her get dressed. "Haley." He frowned, "Megan can pick them up." He said. "I don't even know where Megan is, Nathan." Haley laughed. "You could come with me." She said, humming softly. Nathan let out a deep sigh, looking around the room at all of their clothes on the floor. "We could pretend like we don't have children, and forget about them." He teased. "Go back to letting me take those clothes off of you." Nathan hummed, getting out of bed slowly, getting dressed as well. He walked into the bathroom, watching Haley redo her hair, before stepping up behind her, leaning down and pressing kisses to her neck, humming quietly. Haley sighed softly, shutting her eyes and leaning back against him. "Nathan." She mumbled. "Hm?" He asked her, resting his hands on her sides. "Don't start something that we don't have time to finish." Haley said softly. Nathan glanced at his phone, checking the time. "Fine. We'll just have to wait until the kids go to bed. But it's never as fun when you have to be quiet." He laughed, pressing one more kiss to her neck. "Never?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows. Nathan chuckled quietly, taming his hair a little bit. "Okay, I take that back. It's always amazing with you, Haley James." He said, winking at her. "Go start the car." Haley laughed, shaking her head and smiling when her husband hurried out of the room.

A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of Lydia's school. Haley got out of the car, walking inside. She walked out a few minutes later, Lydia following her. Nathan smiled at them, "Hey little one." He hummed. "Hey Daddy!" She said, waving at him and getting into her seat. "How was school?" He asked her. "It was great!" Lydia hummed. "You're your mother's daughter." He laughed, smiling at Haley. Haley smiled, shaking her head. "What about you? What did you guys do today?" Lydia asked. "Oh, we just hung out." Nathan said, glancing back at his daughter. "I wish I could of hung out with you. You've been gone for a hundred days!" Lydia pouted. "A hundred? Wow, I didn't even realize it. I'm so sorry." He laughed, shaking his head. "I thought you weren't coming home until tonight." Lydia said, looking at him. "Yeah, I wanted to surprise you." Nathan replied, sliding his hand over and grabbing Haley's hand, his thumb brushing over the wedding ring on her finger. "You should of surprised me with cake!" She said, smiling brightly. "Noted. Next time, I will." He said, humming softly and pulling into the middle school parking lot. They waited there for a few minutes, before Jamie and Jordan got into the car. "Hey guys, how was school?" Haley asked them, smiling. "It was fine. Long. Boring. But fine." Jordan replied. Jamie nodded, "About how it usually is." He added. Nathan chuckled, "Basically the way everyone feels but Haley." He said, glancing over at his wife, squeezing her hand softly. Haley rolled her eyes, "There is nothing wrong with liking school. It just helps the time pass by faster and makes it more bearable." She shrugged, shaking her head and laughing. "Jamie, you should like school. You're smart." Haley added. "That does not mean he should like school, Hales." Nathan laughed, looking at her. "Yeah, mom. School is shit no matter what." Jamie said, shrugging. "Hey! Woah!" Haley said, turning to look back at him. "James Lucas Scott, you do not say that word. Ever." She said. "Dad owes me one, so I figured he would let it slide." Jamie shrugged. Haley looked at Nathan, raising her eyebrows. "Well, Nathan? It seems as though the ball is in your court." She said. Nathan glanced at her, before glancing at Jamie in the rear-view mirror. "Take his phone, Hales." He said finally. "Swearing is never allowed, especially not around your little sister." He said, hearing Jamie grumble something, then hand Haley his phone. "I owe you, Jamie. But that doesn't mean you can get away with stuff like that." Nathan said, shrugging his shoulders. "Mama, what does 'shit' mean?" Lydia asked her. Jamie started laughing, looking at Nathan. Nathan smiled slightly, glancing over at Haley. Haley let out a deep sigh, "It's a naughty word, Lydia. If I ever hear you say it again, I'll wash your mouth out with soap." She said. "It's terrible, Lydia. Don't risk it." Jamie said to her. Lydia nodded slowly, "I won't say it! I'm sorry." She said quietly. "Jordan, I promise that we're not this insane." Nathan laughed, shaking his head. "It's whatever. Everyone has some crazy." Jordan replied, nodding at him.

Nathan pulled up to the high school, humming softly. Nicole got into the car slowly, sighing softly. "Hey Nicole, how was your day?" Haley asked her. "Fine. Did you two break into the school today?" She asked them, scowling slightly. "Hey, don't accuse us of something like that. It's not breaking in if you have a key." Nathan informed her. "Yeah, whatever." Nicole grumbled out, shaking her head. "Oh, dang. I just realized that your dad is coming home tomorrow. That means I won't have the pleasure of having you in my house all the time." Nathan said to her, rolling his eyes. "Oh, whatever will I do? I'm going to miss you so much." Nicole spat out sarcastically, shaking her head. Haley sighed softly, resting her hand on Nathan's arm. "Just drive, Nathan." She said softly, gently squeezing his bicep. Nathan huffed, letting out a deep breath and nodding, beginning to drive home.

They arrived home shortly, getting out of the car. Nathan walked inside, carrying Lydia over his shoulder, "Hey you, if you get your homework done then I'll go to the store and get some ice cream." He hummed. Lydia cheered, "Ice cream!" She grinned. Nathan set her down, watching as her eyes moved to the counter. "Woah! There's so many roses." She said, pointing up to them. "Yeah, Daddy got them for me." Haley said, smiling at Nathan. He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders, "I want flowers." Lydia said, looking up at him. Nathan grabbed one of the bouquet's, pulling one rose out of it and handing it to Lydia. "There you are, m'dear. Now go do your homework." He said, patting her head. Lydia hugged him tightly, smelling the rose before running off. "That was cute." Haley said softly, resting her hand on Nathan's chest. Nathan enclosed her hand in his own, pulling her closer to him, and kissing her quickly. Haley smiled against his mouth, before pulling away. "Okay, everyone. Let's get your homework done quick." She said quickly, looking over Nathan, who nodded, watching everyone hurry off.

A couple hours later, Nathan was sitting at the counter with Lydia, eating some ice cream. He hummed softly, picking up the chocolate syrup and squirting some into Lydia's bowl, laughing quietly. "Hey!" She protested, shaking her finger at him. "Stick to your own bowl." She scolded him. Nathan laughed quietly, sticking his finger in his ice cream bowl, wiping some ice cream on his daughter's nose. Lydia gasped, her eyes widening. She looked up at him, "Nathan Scott!" She scolded him, scowling. Nathan burst into laughter, shaking his head. "Lydia Scott! You do not get to call me that." He said, chuckling. "That's what Mommy calls you when you get in trouble." She said, shrugging her shoulders and wiping off her nose. "Okay, I guess I can't hold that one against you." Nathan said, shaking his head. He smiled down at her, kissing her head. He looked up when he heard his name from the TV, sighing softly. "Hey, you. What if you go upstairs and play in your room for a little bit while I clear your bowl, and then I'll come up and play with you?" Nathan suggested. Lydia nodded quickly, climbing down from her chair and running off.

Nathan took a deep breath, standing up and walking into the living room, sitting down on the arm of the couch. Haley tugged on his pants softly, "Nathan. Don't sit there." She said, shaking her head. He chuckled quietly, moving to sit in between his wife and Nicole. Nathan looked up at the TV, resting his hand on Haley's leg, sighing softly. The reporter that that had apparently gotten to know them fairly well appeared on the TV, "Well, well, well! It seems like Nathan Scott has screwed himself again! Last night, he got into a bar fight, and sort of got his ass handed to him. I'm sure he would of won if his former agent, now business partner, Clay Evans hadn't been holding him back. But in the process of doing so, he basically helped Nathan become a punching bag. This is not something we're used to seeing. But take a look." He said, nodding as a video started playing. Nathan looked down, sighing softly. After a minute, he appeared back on screen. "Don't worry folks, the former NBA star did get a few punches in of his own before Evans stopped him. While we don't know entirely what the fight was about, we're pretty sure it has to do with Scott's wife, Haley James Scott. The two have been spending a lot of time apart lately, and have been seen with other people. But today, they were spotted out in Tree Hill together. We're trying to figure out how Nathan got to Tree Hill without us know? He must have taken a flight in the middle of the night." He continued, "The couple was dressed way too formally for the beginning of the day, and they were spotted at various places until about noon, and then they disappeared. We aren't sure what happened, but we have a pretty good idea. At about three o'clock, Haley James Scott posted a video on Instagram of her husband, take a look." He nodded at the screen once again, the video of Nathan as sleep and snoring quietly popping up. "Hey!" Nathan protested, looking at Haley. Haley shrugged, kissing his cheek. They looked up at the screen once the talking began again. "I don't know about you, but Scott is definitely shirtless in the video, and he's rocking some bed hair. Put two and two together, folks. So, we are wondering if this is Haley's way of saying that it's not true, or are they just covering up the bigger picture? We'll keep you all updated as soon as we know. See you tomorrow." The announcer waved, before Nicole turned off the TV, looking at them. "So you two go from screaming at each other in the middle of the night, to this?" She asked. "Yep." Nathan said, kissing Haley's head. "Yeah, alright. I don't buy it." Nicole grumbled, standing up and walking away. Haley shook her head, looking at Nathan and smiling. Nathan looked down at her, raising his eyebrows. "What?" He asked, chuckling quietly. Haley brushed her fingers through his hair, kissing him deeply. He pulled back after a second, smiling. "What was that for?" He asked her softly. "Because I had an amazing day, Nathan Scott." She said softly. "You deserve to have an infinite amount of amazing days, Haley." He replied, reaching over and turning the TV on. He stood up, turning on the playstation. "Really?" Haley laughed, looking at him once he sat next to her. "Just until we can have some fun of our own." Nathan laughed, looking down at the controller in his hands. Haley smiled at him, kissing his cheek. "Yeah, yeah." She said softly, turning to watch him.

A few hours later, they were laying in bed with Haley's head rested on Nathan's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. "You know what the downside of kids is?" He spoke after a few minutes of silence. Haley looked up at him, "We have to get up so early to take them to school that we're exhausted by the end of the day and can only stay up until..." She glanced at the clock, "Eleven?" She laughed. "Well, yes. But there's a chance that Lydia could come into our room at night, so we can't sleep naked." Nathan laughed. Haley laughed, shaking her head and kissing his cheek. "The door is locked, Nathan." She hummed, brushing her thumb over one of the bruises on his stomach. He smirked slightly, pulling Haley closer to him, "I wonder if Clay's home yet. I'm sure he is, but I wish he would of texted me or something." Nathan mumbled. Haley pressed a kiss to Nathan's chest, smoothing her hand over his muscular abdomen. "I talked to Quinn for a couple minutes at about seven, I'm pretty sure he's home. I bet he's a little mad at you for the fighting." She said, closing her eyes. Nathan nodded slowly, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I got my ass handed to me." He said, sighing. "Hey, it's better than getting thrown through a window." Haley said, smiling at him. Nathan nodded his hand, gently brushing his fingers over her back. "How're you still awake?" Haley asked him, lifting up her head. "You must of gotten no sleep last night, and you only slept for like fifteen minutes earlier today." She said softly. "My girl had needs I had to satisfy, that's how." Nathan laughed, winking at her. Haley rolled her eyes, resting her head back down on his chest. "I love you, baby." She whispered, kissing his chest again. Nathan nodded at her, "I love you too, Haley James Scott. I'm so sorry for the way I've been acting the past week." He mumbled. Haley nodded, closing her eyes, "I'm sorry for the way I've acted too." She said softly. Nathan smiled at her, closing his eyes. "Oh, before I fall asleep, it was not cool of you to post a video of me snoring. Pay back is a bitch, Haley James." He laughed, pulling her closer to him. Haley smiled, gently rubbing her hand up and down his side, listening as his breathing steadied out, meaning that he was asleep. Haley lifted her head up, kissing him quickly, before falling asleep as well.


	20. Chapter 20

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 20**

 **This one is pretty short.**

Haley blinked her eyes open in the morning to her husband kissing her neck, practically laying on top of her. She chuckled quietly, looking up at him. "Nathan." She said softly, gently pushing on his shoulder. Haley glanced over at the clock, letting out a deep breath. "Nathan." She said again. "Hm?" Nathan hummed out. "I have to get up." She replied, pushing on his shoulder once again. Nathan laughed quietly, falling onto the bed next to her. "Dammit." He grumbled, closing his eyes. Haley laughed quietly, squeezing his arm. "What's your day like, Haley James?" He asked her, grabbing onto her hand, kissing it softly. Haley smiled at him, "I'm going to go to the cafe for awhile, then I'm going to head over to the studio." She said. "Oh yeah? Recording anything?" He hummed, squeezing her hand. "Not today, no. Just going to go over some things." She replied, kissing him quickly. "You could stay." Nathan said softly, resting his hand on her side. "I really can't, though. I need you to pick up your mom and William at about noon." Haley hummed, kissing him once again, before getting out of bed slowly. Nathan sighed softly, nodding his head. "Alright." He said, closing his eyes. Haley wrapped a bath robe around herself, walking over to Nathan and shaking him. "Nope, you need to get up too, handsome." She said, rubbing her hand over her husband's muscular back. "Hales." Nathan protested. "Come on, Nathan. I need you to wake up everyone while I shower." Haley said, kissing his shoulder. "Don't taunt me." He protested, pressing his face into his pillow. "Come on. Get up." Haley laughed, drumming her hands on his back, before walking into the bathroom. Nathan sighed, listening as the shower started. He shook his head, getting out of bed slowly, picking up his basketball shorts off of the ground, walking into the bathroom as well. "Nathan, don't even think about getting in here right now." Haley laughed from the shower, humming softly. "I wasn't." He protested, smiling slightly. "Yeah, yeah. Just go wake up the kids. I'll try to hurry out, then you can shower." She said. Nathan shook his head, taming his hair a bit.

Nathan walked back out, pulling a t-shirt on quickly, walking across the hall to Jamie's room. "Jamie, get up, son." He said, knocking on the door. "Already up!" Jamie replied. Nathan nodded his head, before walking down to Lydia's room. "Time to get up, Lydia!" He said, tickling her quickly. Lydia pretended to be asleep for as long as she could, before she burst into a fit of giggles. "Get dressed, beautiful." He said, smiling down at her. Lydia got up, nodding her head. "Okay!" She said. Nathan smiled, before heading out of the room. He walked down the hall to Jordan's room. "Jordan! Time to get up." He said, knocking on the door. Nathan then rushed down the stairs, a feeling of excitement rushing through him as he hurried to Nicole's door. "Nicole! This is the last time I'll ever have to do this again! Get up!" He cheered. Nicole pulled open the door, throwing a shoe at him, "I'm glad I'll never have to wake up and hear your voice or see your face again." She grumbled out. Nathan tossed the shoe back into the room just before she slammed the door. He grinned, walking into the kitchen, running his fingers through his hair. Jamie walked down the stairs, looking at his dad. "Hey, Dad." He said, sitting down at the bar. "Hey, Jamie! How'd you sleep?" Nathan asked him, humming softly. "Pretty good. I was just wondering something." Jamie began, looking up at his Dad. "Oh yeah? What's that?" Nathan asked. "Why it's okay for you to get into a fight but not me?" Jamie asked, shaking his head. "Woah, woah. It's not okay for me to get into fights." Nathan protested. "You heard us fighting the other night." He remind his son. "That was about the cheating thing, though." Jamie shrugged. Nathan let out a deep sigh, "Jamie, fighting is never the answer. You're smart, and can think your actions through. Me, I think after I do." He said, shaking his head. Jamie nodded his head, sighing softly. "How's Madison?" Nathan asked him, smirking slightly. "Dad, I told you not to talk about it when Mom could come down." Jamie said, glancing towards the stairs. "I think you should just tell her, Jamie." Nathan replied, shrugging his shoulders. Jamie shook his head, "No. I wasn't even going to tell you but I did." He said, shaking his head. Nathan nodded, "Fine. But you'll have to tell her eventually." He reminded his son, looking up at Haley came downstairs carrying Lydia. "Alright, Nathan. I'm here to relieve you of your duties. Go get ready." Haley said, smiling at him. Nathan kissed her quickly, before hurrying up the stairs.

At about noon, Nathan was standing in the airport with Megan, looking out for his mother. "So tell me again why Grayson left so quickly?" He asked, glancing over at Megan. "My dad doesn't like him very much, so he avoids him." Megan laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "I can't really blame him, though. My dad can be intimidating." She said, humming softly. She waved when she saw them, rushing over and hugging her father quickly, before hugging Deb. Nathan walked slowly over to them, giving his mom and quick hug, nodding at William. "Hey guys. How was the trip?" He asked, taking his mother's suitcase from her, humming quietly. "It was fun. It's always nice to get away. We owe you guys big time." William said, nodding at Nathan. "It was no trouble." Nathan said, leading them out to the car. "Do you want me to take you home, or to my house?" He asked, looking at them. "Let's go back to your house. We have to get the car, and we left some stuff there." Deb said, getting into the car with William. Megan got into the front passenger seat, looking back at them. "You both look so tan. Ugh, I'm so jealous. I'm sure it must be freezing here for you guys though. It's getting colder." She said. That's the way the rest of the car ride went, Megan talking about how it was cold, but how she's bought a bunch of new and adorable winter outfits.

The group walked into the house, listening to Megan go on and on, until Nathan looked at her, "Megan. You've gotta shut up about clothes. Talk to Haley, or Brooke about it." He finally said. Megan punched him in the shoulder, "Hey, Mr grumpy pants. Go back to grumpy town." She said. Nathan rolled his eyes, chuckling quietly. "Oh, my bad." He said sarcastically. Deb and William walked up the stairs, both of them laughing at the conversation. A couple minutes later, Deb came back down the stairs, frowning slightly. "Hey Nathan?" She asked him. Nathan looked over at her, "Yeah mom?" He replied. Deb held something out to him. Nathan looked at the object in her hand, raising his eyebrows. It was a positive pregnancy test. His gaze quickly shifted over to Megan, who bit down on her lip and squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head quickly. "Uh, you weren't supposed to find that! Damn. It was supposed to be a surprise. Haley is um... Pregnant again." He said quickly, looking at his mother. Deb let out a small sigh of relief, "Oh! That's so exciting for you two. What do you want it to be? A boy? Or a girl?" She asked him. "A happy, healthy baby is good enough for me." Nathan said quickly, shrugging his shoulders. William walked down the stairs, "Whats going on?" He asked. "Haley is pregnant again! Isn't that exciting?" Deb said, turning to look at him. "Wow! That's great." He said, clapping Nathan on the shoulder. Nathan nodded his head, looking at Megan as she came up to him, hugging him tightly. She looked like she was nearly in tears, so Nathan hugged her back, rubbing her back softly. "Congrats, Nathan." She said quietly. "Thanks, Megan. Kids are amazing." He assured her, letting out a sigh.

A few minutes later, Haley walked into the house. "After the day I've had already, I need a huge, tall glass of wine." She laughed, looking at Nathan who shook his head quickly. "Haley! Congratulations!" Deb said, hurrying over to her and hugging her. "Congratulations?" Haley questioned, raising her eyebrows. "I told them Haley. That you're pregnant again." Nathan said, nodding at her. Haley looked over at Nathan, "Nathan! You should waited until I was here so we could tell them together." She played along, walking over to Nathan and kissing him quickly. She sent a questioning look up at him, before hugging him. "I'm so excited for you guys. I've been waiting for more grand babies, but I didn't want to pry." Deb laughed, walking over and hugging them both. Nathan and Haley glanced at each other, before smiling at Deb. "Hey, Megan. Can we talk to you upstairs? We have something we want to ask you." Nathan said, before Haley looked at him with wide eyes. Nathan rested his ham on Haley's back, leading her up the stairs with Megan.

Once they were in Nathan and Haley's room with the door locked, Nathan turned to her. Megan let out a shaky breath, looking down at the ground. "How long have you known?" He asked, taking a small step towards her. "I didn't know. I've been suspecting it since we got to your house, but I took the test before we left and I was waiting for the results when you told me it was time to go." Megan said quietly. Haley rushed to her and hugged her tightly. "Oh, Megan..." She said softly, looking over at Nathan. Nathan rubbed his hands down his face, letting out a deep breath. "Does Grayson know that you thought you were pregnant?" Haley asked her softly. Megan shook her head, "No, he's been so busy." She mumbled. Nathan sat down on the bed, looking over at Megan. "You have to tell him." He said. "Haley didn't tell me about Jamie at first, and it didn't go over so well." He shrugged. Haley looked at him, shaking her head. "You tell him when you're ready to tell him." She said softly, rubbing Megan's back. Megan let out a deep breath, "I need to tell him- I just don't know how. Or when. I need to tell my dad too." She said quietly. Nathan stood up slowly, pulling Megan into a hug. Megan pressed her face into his shoulder, and completely broke into sobs. He let out a sigh, "Hey. Don't worry, Megan. We have your back." He said softly. Megan nodded into his shoulder, pulling away from him after a minute. "Just pretend that this was us asking you to be our baby's godmother, okay?" Nathan said, rubbing her arms. Megan nodded, wiping off her face, she hugged Haley again, letting out a deep breath. "I owe you two so much." She said softly. Haley waved her hand, "Don't worry about it." She said, smiling at her. The doorbell went off, and Haley let out a deep breath. "I'll get it." She said, smiling. She hugged Megan once more, before kissing Nathan's cheek, heading out of the room. She headed down the stairs, hurrying to the front door and pulling it open, raising her eyebrows at the unexpected guest.


	21. Chapter 21

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Yeah, so I don't exactly remember what I've made Megan do in previous chapters, but if I said anything about her drinking then just ignore that because if she was suspecting she was pregnant than she wouldn't be drinking. I'm sorry.**

 **Chapter 21**

Haley glanced back into the house, before stepping outside. "Trevor! What are you doing here? I told you to meet me at the studio at like two, not at my house at like 12:30." She said quickly, shaking her head. "I thought maybe you'd like to go to lunch or something? I mean... It's the least I can do since you're letting me record in your studio for free!" Trevor said, shrugging. "If Nathan sees you here, he will not be happy." She said, brushing her fingers through his hair. "You're still married to Nathan?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. Haley scowled, "I'm pretty sure I talked about him a few days ago." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "You talked about your husband, but I just figured it wasn't him." Trevor shrugged. "Dude, don't you watch the news or anything?" Haley raised her eyebrows. "Not really, no." Trevor said, looking down at her. "Come on, Haley. Let's go to lunch." He said. Haley shook her head, "Nathan's family is in town." She said, glancing over her shoulder as Megan stepped outside, pulling a suitcase behind her. Megan raised her eyebrows, frowning slightly. "Uh, hey? You're Trevor, right?" She said, looking over at Haley. Haley let out a deep sigh, while Trevor started nodding. "Oh, this is going to be good." Megan laughed, walking out to the car and putting her bag in the back. "Watch out, Hales. Hubs is on his way with Deb's bag." She yelled across. Haley pushed Trevor slightly, "You need to leave, Trevor. Now. Just meet me at Red Bedroom." She said. Trevor shook his head, "Haley, I owe you big time. You're the whole reason I passed freshman and sophomore year, and now you're still helping me out. Come on." He said. Nathan stepped outside, causing Haley to suck in a deep breath. He froze in his tracks, looking at Trevor, scowling slightly. "Hey, Hales. Who's this?" He asked, stepping in front of her. "Nathan, this is Trevor." Haley said softly, resting her hand on Nathan's back. He looked over his shoulder at her, shaking his head quickly and walking towards the car, setting Deb's stuff in the back. "What's his problem?" Trevor asked, raising his eyebrows. Nathan walked back over, "Hey, man. I think it's time for you to go." He said, taking a step towards him. "Hey, you don't scare me." Trevor shrugged, shaking his head. "It's my property, so get off." Nathan replied, nodding to Trevor's car. "Fine. I'll see you in a little bit, Haley." He said, heading away. Nathan whipped around to look at her, "Hales, what is he talking about?" He asked, closing his eyes. "I'm just seeing if he's talented enough to sign with Red Bedroom, and letting him record something for his mother." Haley said, resting her hands on Nathan's chest, glancing over at Megan. "I'm coming with you." He said quickly, frowning. She let out a deep breath, "Nathan..." She began. Nathan shook his head, "Haley. I'm coming with you." He said again. Haley let out a deep breath, resting her hand on his cheek, brushing her thumb over his stubble. "Fine, Nathan. You can come." She said, pulling his face down and kissing his cheek.

Haley walked over to Megan, hugging her tightly. "Hey, you call me if you need anything? I've been through it all, twice." She said, smiling. Megan nodded, sucking in a deep breath. "You'll always have me and Nathan. Just so you know. If you ever need to get away from everyone, we'll be here? Even when your school starts back up, I can ditch Nathan with the kids and be by your side as soon as possible." Haley said, rubbing her arms. Megan sent her a small smile, "Thanks, Hales. I really owe you guys." She said quietly. Haley hugged her again, "Are you feeling alright? No morning sickness?" She asked softly. "Not too badly." Megan replied, sighing softly. "Why don't you let me go to the doctor with you tomorrow? We can schedule an appointment and say we're going to lunch." Haley suggested. Megan nodded her head, "Thank you, Haley." She said quietly. Haley nodded her head, hugging her tightly. "Really. Let me know if you need anything at all. Quinn is going through it right now too, and I've been helping her a bit as well." She said, smiling. Megan nodded slowly, letting out a deep breath. "I think that Deb and William are going to invite you guys to dinner tonight. To see the new house and stuff. Could you do me a favor and ask them not to have anything alcoholic?" Megan asked her softly. Haley smiled at her, nodding. "You got it." She replied, chuckling quietly. Megan nodded, getting into the car. Haley looked over and saw Deb hugging Nathan tightly, and then William shook his hand. Deb walked over to Haley, "I'm still so excited for you guys! It makes me so happy." She said, hugging Haley tightly. "You guys have to come over for dinner tonight. Nathan said you may be busy, but I figured he was just trying to get out of it. So will you? We'll pick up your kids." She said, smiling. "Yeah, that sounds great. Could you do me a favor though? It's been a long day, and I want nothing more than a glass of wine, and when people are drinking around me when I'm pregnant it makes me go kind of crazy, so can we just stick to water?" Haley asked, smiling. Deb nodded quickly, hugging her again. "Yes, of course! I'll tell William." She replied. "Deb, it's time to go." William laughed, waving her over. Deb smiled at Haley, hugging her once more and waving at Nathan, before getting into the car. Haley walked over to Nathan, waving at them as they drove away. "Nathan Scott, what mess did we just get ourselves into?" Haley asked him, laughing quietly. Nathan looked at her, sighing softly. "Yeah, I don't know." He said, walking inside quickly.

About an hour later, Nathan and Haley walked into Tric, seeing only Chase's car there at the moment. They walked over to the bar, "Hey Chase! Can I a beer?" Nathan asked, tapping his fingers on the bar. Chase looked at Haley, who nodded her head to give him the okay. "Drinking at two o'clock, Nathan? What's up?" Chase asked, setting a beer in front of Nathan. "I'm just about to hang out with Haley's lover." He replied, sitting down. "He's not my lover, Nathan. He's a friend from high school." Haley said, siting next to him. "Oh yeah? Who is it?" Chase asked, looking at her. "Trevor Stone." She replied. Chase laughed quietly, "Hey! I think I remember him. Sophomore, glasses... Is he still pretty, um..." He trailed off. "Short, yes. He's like maybe an inch taller than Haley. Maybe." Nathan chuckled. "Hey, be nice." Haley said, smacking Nathan's arm, reaching over and smacking Chase's. "I saw something on the news about you and a guy, Haley." He said, "Would this be him?" Chase laughed. Haley let out a sigh, nodding her head. "Oh, he doesn't look the same at all then." Chase replied. "Okay, but are you going to say anything about Nathan an his sexy assistant? Because that's been on the news too." Haley said. Chase looked over at Nathan, shaking his head. "Bro code, Haley. She's hot though." He added. Nathan let out a sigh, looking at Haley. "How's things going with Mia?" He asked, looking at Chase. Chase sighed, "I don't know. We haven't talked." He said, shrugging. "Let's stop talking about me, and focus more on Haley's dorky lover." He said quickly. "Chase! You were a Clean Teen. Are you really going to call him that?" Haley said, shaking her head. "Okay, point proven. But why are you meeting him?" Chase asked. "He's recording a song, and Nathan just had to come." She informed him. "If he suspects this dude is going to make a move on you, then I say he's doing the right thing by coming." He shrugged. Nathan smirked slightly, "Thanks, man." He laughed, bumping his fist with Chase's.

Trevor walked in a few minutes later, both Nathan and Haley standing up. "You're late." Nathan said, stepping in front of Haley a little bit. "It's 2:03." Trevor said, shaking his head. "I didn't ask you what time it was, I said that you were late." Nathan replied, looking down at him. "I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again." Trevor said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Nathan sucked in a deep breath, resting his hand on Haley's back, nodding towards Red Bedroom. Haley sighed softly, "Come this way, Trevor. Nathan is here to do the heavy lifting if we need it." She said, waving at Chase. Nathan nodded at Chase, handing him some money, before following Haley and Trevor.

"You know, Hales. I can do the heavy lifting." Trevor said, glancing over at Nathan. "Yeah, but Nathan can't even lift some of this stuff by himself, so it's better if he helps. He won't bother you." Haley said, glancing over at her husband. "So, why don't you go into the recording booth, and warm up a little bit. Let me know if you need anything." She said, watching as Trevor did so. Haley walked into the sound system part with Nathan, sitting down, messing with something for a second, before pushing the talk back button, "Okay, Trevor. Just run through it a couple times, then we'll start recording things." Haley said, smiling slightly. Nathan studied her for a second, glancing at Trevor. He seemed fairly focused on the piano. Nathan stepped behind her, brushing her hair to the side a little bit, bending down and kissing her neck softly. Haley raised her eyebrows, "I don't know what you think you're doing, Nathan." She said softly. He smirked slightly against her skin, continuing his actions, feeling her give in a little bit and tilt her head. He watched as her eyes closed, glancing up and making eye contact with Trevor, smirking slightly. After a second, Trevor walked over to the mic, "Hey, Hales? I'm ready." He said. Haley jumped slightly, shooing Nathan's head away from her neck, her cheeks turning bright red. "Nathan, don't do that." She said, shaking her head at him. "Okay, Trevor. I just want to hear your voice first, then we'll put the instruments in, and probably record your voice again." She said, holding down the talk back button. "Okay, so I'll just go acapella first?" Trevor asked. Haley nodded, smiling as Trevor put on the headphones. Nathan took a seat next to her, tugging his chair a little closer to hers. Haley looked over at her husband, smiling at him, before turning her attention back to Trevor when he started singing. She was very focused on him, until Nathan decided it would be a good idea to rest his hand on her knee, and slowly begin to inch it up her leg. Haley had smacked it a couple of times, but his hand just found its way back. She barely noticed when the song had ended, but Trevor's voice made her look up. "What did you think?" Trevor asked her. "It was good." She said, smiling at him. "Let's just start with the piano first." Haley said quickly, pointing towards the piano. "Nathan, would you go move the microphone?" She asked him. "Haley, it weighs like two pounds." He replied. "Yeah, but you're working for me right now, and he's the guest. So go." She said, nodding to him. Nathan grumbled quietly, standing up and walking into the recording booth. "Hey, man. I'm really trying to do something for my mom. Can you chill out?" Trevor asked. Nathan looked at him, "Yeah, no. You've been making sex eyes at Haley since you stormed my house to invite my wife to lunch. I don't think so." He said, glancing at his wife, who's eyebrow was raised because she couldn't hear them. Nathan walked over to the mic, "Haley James, when are you going to let me record the rap for you next Christmas song?" He asked into it, smirking. Haley laughed quietly, pushing down the button. "When you learn to rap." She replied, winking at him. "Fair enough. I'll get working on it." He said, before moving the microphone a bit more towards the piano, sitting down on the bench. "Hey Hales, watch this." He said, playing the first three notes to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. "I still remember stuff." Nathan smirked. Haley shook her head, "Come on back in here, Nate. Let Trevor record." She laughed, gesturing him back in. Nathan brushed his shoulder against Trevor's when he walked out, pushing him a little bit, walking back into the sound system booth. He took his seat next to Haley again, watching her shake her head. "Nathan, I will send you out to Tric if I have to. Please." She said, pinching his chin softly, before looking at Trevor. "Go ahead." Haley hummed, nodding at him. Nathan watched her as she listened, smiling slightly. "You're so beautiful." He said softly, rubbing her leg softly. Haley smiled, not taking her gaze from Trevor. "And you are so sexy." He said in a huskier tone, leaning forward and nibbling on her ear softly. "Nathan." She said, looking over at him for a second. "I know what you're doing, and it's not the right way to go about things." She said, resting her hand on top of his, giving it a small squeeze. "I'm just showing him that you're mine, Haley." Nathan mumbled into her ear. "He knows, Nathan. Trust me. Besides, you're the only guy I want, so you don't need to be jealous." Haley said softly, glancing at him again. "I really need to pay attention, Nathan." She said, picking his hand up and setting it down in his own lap. "How was that one?" Trevor asked. "I really need you to make sure it's perfect before we get the final cut, Trevor. I heard a couple of rough spots in there. Why don't I go in there and run through it with you?" Haley suggested, standing up. Nathan frowned, watching her walk into the booth and take a seat next to Trevor at the piano. "Okay, so here's the thing. It sounds alright, but not perfect. There were a couple of times when you messed up, which a final cut can't have." Haley said, resting her hand on the keys, looking at the sheet music Trevor had set on the piano. She began to play, while singing along to the song quietly, stopping at specific parts to point out what to change. "Wow, Haley. I forgot how talented you were. It's been so long since I've seen you." Trevor said softly, looking at her. Nathan scowled slightly, withholding the urge to push down the talk button and give the shorter guy a piece of his mind. Haley pulled up a stood, setting it near a mic, and then handing him a guitar. "Okay, based off what we just covered on piano, let's see what the guitar part sounds like." She said, walking back into the studio, glancing at Nathan. "What?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

Nathan stood up, resting his hands on her sides. "You need to do some recording of your own, Haley James. I don't understand why you always do this. You always put off your own goals." He said softly. "Nathan, this really isn't the time to talk about this. I have to get to work." Haley said, smiling slightly at him. Nathan pulled her towards him, kissing her deeply. Haley let him kiss her for about three seconds, before pushing him back gently, sitting back down and turning to Trevor. "Okay, show me your guitar skills." She hummed, smiling at him. Nathan let out a sigh, sitting next to her, putting his arm around the back of her chair. He watched his wife, sighing softly and frowning at how she was paying such close attention to the guy in the booth. He could feel himself getting more, and more annoyed by the guy. Nathan let out a deep breath, resting his hand on Haley's back for a second, before sliding his hand down a little bit, slipping it into her shirt, gently brushing his fingers over the tattoo she had on her lower back. Haley shivered slightly, shaking her head and glancing over at him, before looking at Trevor again. Nathan smirked slightly when Haley didn't push his hand away, glancing towards Trevor, who seemed focused on his guitar. Nathan leaned forward, leaning over and kissing Haley's neck once again.

Haley stood up slowly after a second, pressing down on the talk button, "Hey, Trevor. Sorry to interrupt. Why don't you run through it a few more times on the guitar part? Try to switch up the chords a little bit more, and the strumming patterns. It gets a little bit... Plain. We'll be right back." Haley said, tapping Nathan's shoulder, motioning for him to follow her. Nathan smirked slightly, winking at Trevor, following Haley out of the recording studio, to her desk. Haley leaned against her desk, letting out a deep breath, closing her eyes when she felt Nathan kissing her neck. "I think you misread my signs, buddy." She said, nudging him off. Nathan frowned at her, "What?" He asked. "No, Nathan. I did not bring you in here to congratulate you for being jealous and crazy." She said, crossing her arms. "I wouldn't go as far as to say crazy." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head. "I think it would be best if you went out a hung out with Chase while I finish." Haley said softly, flattening out Nathan's shirt. "No." He protested. "Why not, Nathan?" Haley asked him, sighing. "Because..." He trailed off. "You don't trust me, do you?" She asked, frowning up at him. "I thought we got past this yesterday, Nathan." Haley ran her fingers through her hair. Nathan shook his head, "No, Hales! That's not it." He said quickly. "I don't trust him." He shrugged, sitting down at her desk. Haley sighed softly, looking down at him. "Nathan..." She began. "No, no. You don't trust Elizabeth, for the same reasons I don't trust Trevor." He protested. "But I don't come sit over you shoulder and interrupt your work." Haley pointed out. Nathan sighed softly, looking up at her. "But Haley! You were his hot, sexy tutor. He probably still has dreams about you. And now you're helping him record music." He said, shrugging. Haley rested her hands on Nathan's face, examining him for a second. "What has gotten into you?" She asked. "You're suddenly so scared that someone is going to try to take me from you." She frowned, brushing her thumb over a bruise on his face. Nathan looked at her, shrugging slightly. "I don't know, Haley. I've just been feeling off my game lately." He shrugged, picking up a pen and clicking it. "Yesterday you seemed pretty on your game." She said, kissing his head softly. "Yeah, I don't know." He said, standing up after a second. "I'll be good." Nathan said, kissing Haley quickly. Haley looked at him, "Okay, I'm giving you one more chance." She said, tapping his chest. "Oh come on, I know that you loved it." He smirked, leaning down and kissing her neck softly. "I still drive you crazy, Hales." Nathan hummed. "Stop." Haley laughed, pushing him off. "But I may need you to continue later." She winked at him, grabbing his hand and pulling him back into the sound system booth. "Okay, Trevor. I talked it over with Nathan, and we both like the piano sound better. I think that your mother would too." Haley smiled, sitting back down. Nathan stood behind her, nodding his head. Trevor nodded his head, "She's going to love it regardless, Hales. Especially since you helped me with it. She always like you." He laughed, moving back over to the piano. "Run through it just- once more on the piano. And remember the changes we made. Then let's record the piano part, and then your voice, and we'll go from there." She said, nodding at him as he began to play again, winking at her. Nathan frowned, resting his hands on Haley's shoulders, beginning to massage them softly. Haley was about to protest, but after Nathan had been doing it for a few seconds, she couldn't bring herself to tell him to stop. Nathan smirked to himself, sucking in a deep breath at the annoyance he felt for Trevor. "Nathan, I'm going to fall asleep if you keep doing that." Haley said after a minute, closing her eyes. Nathan smiled at her, leaning down and kissing her neck once again. Haley tilted her head, letting herself get lost in him for a second, before she shoved his hands off. "You're done. Go." She said, nodding at the door. "Haley-" Nathan began to protest. Haley shook her head, "No, Nathan. I told you that was your last chance like literally five minutes ago." She said, pointing to the door. "Go talk to Chase." She said again, kissing Nathan quickly, standing up and opening the door, rushing him out.

Nathan grumbled as she shoved him out, walking over to the bar. "Chase, I don't understand why you still like to tend bar." He said, sitting down. Chase looked at Nathan, "It's fun. Why don't you come back here and bar tend with me?" He said. Nathan thought about it for a second, before hopping over the counter. "Who the hell is going to be drinking at this time?" He questioned. "Hey, you were." Chase laughed, nodding his head. "You can talk me up to the girls. Tweet it out or something." He said. Nathan rolled his eyes, holding up his phone and taking a picture with Chase, doing as he asked and tweeting out that he would be bar tending Tric. After a few minutes, a bunch of people started coming in. "Dude, you just brought a ton of people to my bar in the middle of the day." Chase laughed. "Talk me up." He said, pushing Nathan towards some girls that just walked up. Nathan shook his head, "Chase, I don't do this, man." He grumbled, walking over to them. "Hey, what can I get for you?" Nathan asked. One of the girls leaned forward a bit, smirking at him. "I'll take a Screaming Orgasm." She said, tracing her fingers over the counter. "Well it's a good thing my buddy Chase makes those the best." He said, grabbing Chase's shirt and pulling him over. "Yeah, Chase, I don't know about this." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head. "Chase, this girl wants a Screaming Orgasm. I told her you do them best." He said, patting Chase's back and hurrying to someone else.

Haley walked out of the studio with Trevor about an hour and a half later, raising her eyebrows at all of the people. "What's going on?" Trevor asked her. She shrugged her shoulders, spotting Nathan behind the counter talking to to a group of people, his hand on Chase's shoulder as he gestured from Chase to one of the girls. Haley walked up to the counter, tapping her fingers on the counter. Nathan didn't look over, but started talking to her, "What can I get for you? If it's another screaming orgasm, I promise you, my buddy Chase does it best." He said. "Oh does he now?" Haley laughed, raising her eyebrows. "Hales! Hey." He said, leaning across the bar and kissing her quickly. Haley grabbed his face when he started to pull away, kissing him deeper. A girl cleared her throat, "I'll have what she's having." She said, smirking. Nathan chuckled quietly, "Sorry, that's specifically for her. But if you're interested, my buddy Chase over there can help you with that." He said, nodding over at Chase, before his attention turned back to Haley. He rolled his eyes as Trevor walked up, grabbing Haley and kissing her again, leaning a big further across the bar. Haley's arms wrapped around Nathan's neck, her eyes shutting quickly. After a minute she pulled away, winking at him. "So much better than a drink." She said, pinching his chin. Chase walked up behind Nathan, "Dude, you are my hero." He laughed, looking at Haley. "Oh hey, Haley. Do you mind if I borrow your husband for the rest of the night? He's getting me a bunch of phone numbers." He said. Haley laughed quietly, "We have dinner with his family in an hour, so I don't think so." She said. Nathan slung his arm around Chase's shoulder, "Come on, Hales. It's for a good cause." He said. Haley shook her head, "Nathan, I promised your mom. Plus, I don't really like that you're flirting with women for Chase." She laughed, glancing at Trevor. "Yeah, man. Not cool." Trevor said, smirking. Nathan narrowed his eyes, pulling Haley over to him and kissing her again. "Why don't you hop back here with me then?" He asked. Haley shook her head, grabbing his shirt and pulling him over once more, kissing him again. "I'm not sure what's gotten into you, Haley James." Nathan laughed. "Haley James Scott." She corrected him, yelling out the 'Scott' part, glaring at the people around her. "Okay, Chase. Looks like I have to go, man. It was fun. We'll have to do it again." Nathan laughed. "Okay, fine. I'll see you guys later." Chase laughed, waving at them. Nathan hopped over the bar again, waving at everyone.

Haley grabbed his hand, hurrying out with him, Trevor following behind. "Hey, Haley. Thanks so much for today. I really owe you. And let me know when you want to record that Christmas song." He said. Haley nodded at him, "Yeah, of course. Let me know when you're in town again, and I will. It was good to see you." She said, smiling. Trevor moved in to hug her, before Nathan stepped in front of her, "Yeah, I don't think so." He said, nodding at Trevor's car. Trevor chuckled quietly, rolling his eyes. "See you, Haley." He said, getting into his car. Nathan walked over to their car, pulling open Haley's door. Haley got into the car slowly, waving at Trevor. Nathan hurried around, getting in the driver's seat. "So, Christmas song?" He asked, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. "Yeah, we're going to do a Christmas song together." She informed him. "As in sing it together?" He looked over at her. "Yep." Haley said, humming softly. "I think you're way too good to sing with him. You're so talented, and he's mediocre." Nathan said. Haley rubbed his arm softly, "I think he's talented. I'm probably going to sign him to Red Bedroom." She said, shrugging. He sighed, shaking his head. "Are we going home, or to my mom's?" He asked after a minute. "Let's just go straight to your mom's. The kids are already there." She said, grabbing into one of his hands, holding it tightly. "By the way, you have to be nicer to him. Or at least nicer that you're being now." Haley said, squeezing his hand. "Yeah, well he undresses you with his eyes." Nathan grumbled, shrugging. She laughed quietly, "So do you! And he doesn't, though." She shrugged. "I'm your husband." He shrugged, kissing her knuckles. "I know, baby. But he's not looking at me the way you think he is." Haley said softly, nodding at him. "You almost got me to kick him out earlier today though." She laughed. "Oh yeah? I knew you couldn't resist me." Nathan laughed, winking at her. Haley kissed his hand, shrugging. "Yeah, I know. It's not fair." She laughed, squeezing his hand. A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of the new house, sighing softly. "Okay, Nate. I'm pregnant. Don't forget that. But try not to be obvious because I don't want to explain it to the kids." Haley said, leaning over and kissing Nathan. He nodded his head, looking at her. "Yep. Let's do this."


	22. Chapter 22

**I don't own One Tree Hill.**

 **This chapter isn't very interesting, I'm sorry. I've had a little bit of writing block.**

 **Chapter 22**

Nathan and Haley walked up to the door, knocking softly. A few seconds later, Jordan opened the door. "Uh, hey Jordan." Nathan said, waving at her. Jordan looked at him, stepping out of the way. "Hey." She said, shutting the door behind them. "They're in the kitchen." She said, before hurrying up the stairs. "She gives me the creeps sometimes." Nathan grumbled. Haley laughed, kissing his cheek. "She's nice, don't say stuff like that. We should of gone home first and picked up the rest of their stuff though." She said, looking around. "Well, where's the kitchen?" Nathan laughed. "If you would of came to the house like your mother asked you to, then you would know." Haley said, nudging him softly. "Good thing I've been here, because you'd be lost." She winked at him. "Most of the time I'd be lost without you." He smirked. Haley laughed quietly, rolling her eyes. "That was cheesy, Nathan." She hummed, grabbing into his hand and pulling him towards the kitchen. "Hey Deb, William." Haley said, waving at them. "Nathan, Haley! You're a bit earlier than I expected you to be." Deb said, waving at them. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Haley asked. "Oh no, go sit down. I want my grandchild to be healthy." Deb said, waving towards the living room. "It's really fine, Deb." She replied, shaking her head. "I know, but I still want you to sit down." Deb said, nodding. "If we need any help, we'll just have Megan come." William added, smiling at Deb. Nathan chuckled quietly, looking at Haley. "Come on, Hales. You can give me the tour." He said, grabbing onto her hand and pulling her out of the room.

"We should go find Megan." Haley said to him. "I was thinking maybe we should find our children first." Nathan laughed, kissing her head. "That's probably a good idea. I would guess that Jamie is in the living room on his phone, and maybe Lydia is in there with him. And well, number 3 is nonexistent so we don't need to worry about him." Haley laughed, winking at Nathan. He chuckled quietly, letting Haley lead him to the living room. As she guessed, Jamie was sitting on the couch on his phone, and Lydia was laying on the floor, watching a movie on the TV. "Hey Jamie, Lydia." Nathan said, sitting on the couch next to Jamie. "Nathan, I'm going to go find Megan." Haley said, nodding at him. "Okay, I'm just going to... Stay here." He shrugged, looking at the game that Jamie was playing. She smiled at him, kissing Nathan's head and ruffling Jamie's hair. "Behave, children." She teased. "Lydia, watch your father and brother." Haley said to her, laughing and heading up the stairs. She knocked on Megan's bedroom door, sighing softly. Megan opened it after a second, letting out a deep breath. "Oh, hey." She said quietly, letting Haley in. Haley looked at her, "How's it going?" She asked, sitting down on the bed. Megan sat next to her, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know, Haley. It just doesn't seem real. I mean, it's not even fair because I'm on birth control." She said, shaking her head. "I was on birth control when I got pregnant with Jamie." Haley said, shrugging. "Yeah, but you were also married." Megan said, closing her eyes. "And poor, and my husband was borrowing money from a shark." Haley said, shrugging. "But you had Nathan. I don't think Grayson will take this well. Like I said, he won't even kick his stupid roommate out." Megan sighed. "Nathan walked out on me when I told him, Megan. Though he did bounce back fairly quickly, the good thing was that I knew I had people that would be there for me. You have people that will be there for you too." Haley said, smiling at her. "I should of just waited until I was married to have sex." Megan grumbled. "How the hell did you do it?" She asked. "Okay, I got married when I was sixteen, Megan." Haley laughed, rubbing her back. "Look, I know that everything is going to be fine. And I can pretend to be pregnant as long as you need, but after awhile it will be obvious that I'm not, and you are." She said, nodding at her. Megan sighed softly, closing her eyes and letting out a deep sigh. "Hey, everything is going to be alright, Megan. Grayson will understand, and if he doesn't then it's his loss. Because you're kickass, and your baby is going to be kickass." Haley smiled, hugging her. "Haley, I can't be a mother. I still have to finish college." Megan closed her eyes. Haley shook her head, "Hey, you can do it. Don't worry." She said, smiling at her. Megan let out a deep sigh, standing up. "Let's go downstairs. Thank you, Haley." She said softly. Haley nodded at her, standing up and hugging her again. "Let's go." She smiled, heading out of the room.

The two of them walked downstairs and into the living room. Haley laughed quietly at the scene in front of her. Lydia was sitting on the couch talking to Nathan while the movie played in the background, and what she had yet to realize is that Nathan was nearly asleep, occasionally replying to something she said with one word answers. Megan smiled at them, sitting down in a chair to the side of the couch. Haley sat down next to Lydia, reaching her arm behind her and pushing Nathan's shoulder softly. Nathan blinked his eyes open, looking at Lydia. When Lydia started to laugh hysterically, Nathan fake laughed along with her, looking at Haley and raising his eyebrows. Haley shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head. "What a funny story, Lydia." Nathan said, kissing her head, turning to look at Jamie's phone again. Lydia looked up at Nathan, then looked at Haley. "Hey Haley." She said, smiling at her. "Haley?" Haley laughed, raising her eyebrow. "She called me Nathan the other day too!" Nathan said, looking over at them. "Those are your names." Lydia informed them, shrugging. "You're not supposed to call us that." Haley said, shaking her head. "Dad called his dad 'Dan' so why can't she?" Jamie asked. Nathan looked at him, "Different situation entirely." He shrugged. "So if you want to call him Nathan, just get emancipated." Jamie told Lydia. "What does that mean?" Lydia asked. Nathan and Haley looked at each other. "Okay, enough out of you Jamie. It's not important, Lydia." Nathan laughed, winking at Lydia. Lydia nodded her head, looking up at Haley. Haley smiled down at her, glancing across the room at Megan. Deb walked into the room a minute later, "Okay, dinner is ready. Jordan! Nicole!" She called out. Nicole and Jordan came down the stairs. Nicole groaned slightly, "Really?" She grumbled, shaking her head at Nathan. "Oh, trust me Nicole. I do not want to see you either." He said, standing up.

Dinner went by slowly, about half way through it, Nicole 'accidentally' kicked Nathan under the table. "Hey!" Nathan scowled. "Hey!" Nicole mocked him. Haley let out a deep sigh, looking at Nathan. "So, Nathan. How's everything going at work?" Deb asked. "It's going fine, we just got back from scouting a couple of days ago. We found some pretty good players." Nathan said, glaring at Nicole. "How's your assistant?" Nicole asked him, smirking. "Don't know, don't care. As long as she gets her work done." He replied, shrugging. "Sure looks like you care a lot about her in the pictures." Nicole replied. "Yeah well, you don't-" Nathan was cut off by Haley standing up. "Okay, that's enough." She snapped. "You two are bickering like children. All day long, that's what you do. Give it a rest." Haley began. She pointed at Nicole, "You. Stop being such a bitch to my husband! He's never done anything to you." She snapped. Nicole raised her eyebrows as Haley yelled at her, the whole table falling silent. "I mean seriously! You can go off on him all you want, but that's not going to change anything. You're stuck with him so just shut your damn mouth!" She said, before she covered her mouth, closing her eyes. Nathan's jaw dropped, looking at his wife with wide eyes. He looked around the table, everyone had the same expression on their faces. Haley let out a deep breath, hurrying out of the room. William cleared his throat after a minute, "Um..." He began. "I'll go talk to her." Nathan said slowly, walking after his wife.

Nathan found her outside, sitting down on the front step. "Well that was unexpected." He said, sitting down next to her. Haley looked at him, "Why didn't you stop me?" She asked him. "I did not know that was going to happen." He laughed, wrapping his arm around her. "I said bitch and damn in front of Lydia and Jamie." Haley said, sighing softly. Nathan started laughing again, "Everybody slips sometimes, Haley." He shrugged. "She's such a bitch to you! I'm tired of it." She said, looking up at him. "Defending my honor. Sexy." He smiled at her, kissing her head. Haley rolled her eyes, "I don't even know what happened. She just kept talking, and you started talking, and I just lost it on her." She said, letting out a deep sigh. "I'm awestruck, Haley James. I'm pretty sure William is going to kick us out though, so maybe we should just go." Nathan laughed. "I should apologize." Haley said, running her fingers through her hair. "No, no. Don't." He said, pulling her closer to him. "She had it coming. It's better that you yell than me." Nathan smiled at her, standing up and pulling her to her feet. "Maybe you should wait in the car." He teased her, handing her the keys. "I was worried you were going to hit her." He smirked. Haley shook her head, "She's seventeen, there's no way I was going to hit her." She sighed, walking over to the car. Nathan kissed her cheek, pulling open the door for her. "I'll be back." He said, walking back inside. He walked into the kitchen slowly, "Hey, so... We're going to go. Dinner was great, thank you. She's just feeling a little... Hormonal, I guess. We'll just blame it on the pregnancy." Nathan chuckled. "Pregnancy?" Jamie asked him, frowning slightly. Nathan's eyes widened, "Yeah, we'll talk about in the car, Jamie." He said, "Go get your backpack. You too, Lydia." He said quickly, watching as they hurried off. Deb stood up, "You don't have to go." She said quietly. "No, it okay Mom. Don't worry about it. I'm sorry to everyone. Except Nicole, of course. She had it coming." Nathan added, glaring at her. "Bye guys." He said quickly, before hurrying away, meeting Lydia and Jamie out by the car.

The car ride was silent for a few minutes, before Jamie finally spoke up. "Are you pregnant?" He asked, scowling slightly. Haley looked at Nathan, "Come on, Nathan. We went almost the whole night without talking about it and you let it slip?" She groaned. "Hey, I used it to cover up your unexpected remarks." He said, shrugging. "So you are?" Jamie asked again. "Nathan? Why don't you take this one." Haley sighed. "No, she's not. But if Deb, or William, or anyone else in their family asks then she is." He began. "What? Why?" Jamie frowned at them. "It's a long story. But as far as you know, she's pregnant, alright?" Nathan said, glancing back at Jamie. Jamie nodded his head slowly, "Weird. But okay." He said, shrugging. Nathan nodded, pulling into the garage. He got out of the car, walking around to Haley's door and pulling it open. "Thank you." Haley said, kissing his cheek. He smiled at her, walking into the house, pushing his fingers through his hair. "Well... That was a successful dinner, huh?" He laughed, glancing over his shoulder at Haley. "Yeah, great job on my part." She replied sarcastically, shaking her head. "Yeah, mom. You went off on her. Yell at yourself for swearing, because you always get mad at me." Jamie grumbled. "Yeah, I know Jamie. You don't have to remind me." Haley said, shaking her head. "I'm just saying, that's a little hypocritical." He said, shrugging. "Well, we're your parents so we can be as hypocritical as we want." Haley said, looking at him. "That's not fair at all." Jamie said, shaking his head. "Jamie, life isn't fair. So go do your homework." She said, pointing towards the stairs. Jamie sighed, rolling his eyes and walking up the stairs.

After Jamie had finished his homework, he and Nathan played playstation. Haley had gone upstairs with Lydia, and stayed up there reading. Haley came down the stairs at about eleven o'clock, hearing her husband and son's voice. "Nathan. It's a school night. Jamie. Bed." She said, shaking her head. Nathan glanced at the time, "Oh, wow. It's 11 o'clock." He laughed, "You better head on up, Jame. See you tomorrow." He said. Jamie nodded his head, "Goodnight." He said, walking up the stairs. Haley looked over at her husband, walking over and sitting down next to him. Nathan glanced away from the TV toward her for a second, before he looked back at the TV quickly. She linked her arm through his, resting her head on his shoulder. "Sorry. We lost track of time." He said after a second. Haley chuckled, "I know how you get with basketball, Nathan. Don't worry." She brushed her fingers through his hair, kissing his cheek. "You can go to bed. I'll be up in a minute. Just have to finish the game." He said softly. Haley nodded, kissing his cheek again before heading up the stairs. After about ten minutes, Nathan was laying next to her in bed. She was nearly asleep when he started laughing. "I can't believe you called her a bitch in front of our children." He laughed, looking down at her. "Jamie is never going to let that go." He said, kissing Haley's head. "Laugh it up, Nathan. I feel bad." She said, sighing softly. "It was nice, Hales. Thank you." He hummed, smiling down at her. "Yeah, well it was still the wrong place and time to confront her." Haley said, looking up at him. "Yeah, but who cares? She deserved it." Nathan mumbled. Haley kissed Nathan's chin, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, it was kind of sexy. My girl, defending my honor all of the time." Nathan chuckled. Haley looked up at him, winking at him. "Go to sleep, Nathan."


	23. Chapter 23

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 23**

Haley walked into Fortitude's office after her doctors appointment with Megan. Tami looked up at Haley, waving. "Haley! Hey. Nathan is back in his office, but I wouldn't go back there yet though. He's in a meeting with Elizabeth. But Quinn is back there with Clay." She said, smiling. Haley nodded her head, "Thanks, Tami. I'll go stop by and see them." She replied, walking back to Clay's office, knocking on the open door. Quinn looked over at her, "Hey Haley!" She smiled. "Hey." Haley hummed, walking into the office and pulling a chair up next to Quinn. "I was just about to start a conversation that I think you'll like to hear." Quinn said, standing up quickly and closing the door, before sitting down again. "It's about Nathan's slutty assistant." She grinned. "I'm listening." Haley said, looking at Clay. Clay shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Okay, so I walked in here, and she was putting on lipstick." Quinn began, shaking her head. "Lipstick? Why does she need lipstick before she goes into a meeting with my husband?" Haley raised her eyebrows. "Quinn, you put on lipstick all of the time. What's wrong with wanting to look nice?" Clay asked her, shaking his head. "Clay, don't defend her. I was watching her and Nathan. Nathan would say something funny, and she would laugh her annoying laugh and rest her hand on his bicep." Quinn said, shrugging. "Quinn, you've done that to him too. Does that mean that you love him?" Clay laughed. Quinn sighed softly, shaking her head. "Well... No... But-" "No, Quinn. She's doing her job, and that's good enough for Nathan." Clay said, shaking his head. "Quinn, you're right. Should I just storm his office?" Haley asked. "Am I invisible? Haley, stop. You can't storm his office. He's in a meeting, and you need to respect that." Clay grumbled. "What did you say, Clay? Yesterday, I invited him to go to the recording studio with me while I helped out an old friend, and I ended up kicking him out." Haley said, crossing her arms. "Oh yeah, I saw that he was bar tending with Chase! I wish I could of made it, damn. Looked fun. I saw pictures." He said, grinning. "Not the point, Clay." She shook her head. "You've been married for fifteen years, Haley. He's not in to her." Clay said to her, sighing. "Clay, she didn't say he was in to her. But she is swooning over him. He's Nathan Scott." Quinn said, shaking her head. "Oh come on, he's goofy, and tall, and he cares more about basketball than people. That's Nathan Scott. He's not some sexy, dark, and mysterious guy. This is the guy who knows he can't sing worth shit, but on road trips he blasts Haley's songs and sings them at the top of his lungs." Clay said, shrugging his shoulders. Quinn shook her head, "Yeah, but Elizabeth doesn't see that Nathan Scott." She said, shrugging. "Okay, fine. Why don't we go wait outside and wait for them to come out, and we'll see whose right?" Clay suggested, standing up. Quinn crossed her arms, following him outside, Haley hurrying after them.

Nathan and Elizabeth were already standing outside his office, both of them laughing. Nathan tugged on his collar slightly, while Elizabeth rested her hand on his bicep, "No, no. I have a better story. One time, when I was in college I was at this party, and I was talking to this guy, and he started making me laugh, and beer literally came out of my nose, all over him." She said. "You're kidding me?" Nathan laughed loudly, shaking his head. "I wish that I was! I swear, I got so hammered that night, trying to forget that happened. I woke up that morning with absolutely no idea where I was." Elizabeth laughed. "Okay, when I was in high school, I was probably a sophomore, I threw this party at my parent's beach house. And it got absolutely crazy. We literally filled a hot tub with beer okay, and it was awesome. It sounds disgusting, but we were all so wasted we didn't even care." Nathan told her, laughing. "I bet you were fun in high school. Super star jock, lots of ladies, the best parties..." Elizabeth trailed off, taking a small, unnoticeable step towards him. "Yeah, well. I liked to think that I was a big deal in high school, but I wasn't really. I just thought I was awesome." He replied, shaking his head. Haley watched from afar as the conversation continued, glancing over at Quinn. "Oh man." Clay said, shaking his head. "That looks bad, and it sounds very unprofessional, but... Don't do anything crazy." He said. Quinn looked at him, shaking her head. "Go storm that conversation, Haley. You show that girl who's boss." She said, nodding towards Nathan. Haley scowled at them, taking a step forward. Clay grabbed her arm, "Haley." He said. Haley shook her head at Clay, "No, Clay. Don't deny that there's something. Look she's getting closer and closer to him." She said, before walking towards Nathan. Nathan glanced over as she walked up, "Hey you! How was the-" He was cut off by Haley kissing him, grabbing his shirt and pulling him close. She pulled away after a second, glancing up at him and winking. "Appointment?" Nathan finished, glancing over at Elizabeth. "I'll tell you about it in your office. Follow me." She hummed, walking in. Nathan raised his eyebrows, glancing over in Quinn and Clay's direction, who pretended they were in a conversation. His gaze finally fell on Elizabeth again, "Hey, so... Go ahead and take a long lunch today." He said quickly, nodding at her.

Without another word, Nathan rushed into his office, locking the door, beginning to unbutton his shirt. He turned around quickly, looking at Haley who was sitting in his chair with raised eyebrows. "Nathan?" She laughed, smirking at him. "Oh, that's not fair." He grumbled, sitting down in the chair across from his desk. "What exactly did you think was going to happen, Nathan?" Haley asked him. Nathan shrugged his shoulders, beginning to button up his shirt again. "You kind of made it seem like we were going to have sex." He grumbled. She smiled at him, "I just had to get that slut away from my man. I think I did it the correct way." She shrugged, winking at him. "Plus, I told you we were going to talk about the appointment." Haley added, laughing. "She's not that bad, Haley." Nathan replied, sighing. "Honey, she keeps touching you, and laughs at everything you say. And she was inching closer to you." She pointed out. He sighed, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes. "Haley, come on. I ditched her so fast to come in here with you. I didn't even know you were here." Nathan frowned, reaching over and grabbing her hand. "I texted you and told you I was coming. Plus, I was standing in front of Clay's office, watching you for a few minutes, and you didn't notice." She said. Nathan picked up his phone off the desk, sighing softly. "Okay, point taken. I was in a meeting." He said, shrugging. "With her." Haley said, crossing her arms. "Yes, I was updating her about the scouting and how it went and who we would be expecting calls from." He said. "You're not jealous, are you?" He smirked at her, winking. "Me? No. Why would I have a problem with the fact that your young, hot assistant has some serious feelings for you?" Haley asked him. "Well, I only have serious feelings for my young, hot wife. Who led me on majorly today, and she knows it." Nathan grumbled. Haley sighed softly, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath. "So how was the appointment?" He asked her. She looked at him, "It went well. The doctor suspects she's about a month and a half pregnant, which sounds about right." Haley said, smiling. "What does she think?" Nathan asked her. "Well, it always helps to see the baby. She's still very scared though. But she'll be alright." She informed him, standing up, gesturing for him to come sit down. Nathan stood up, walking over, smiling as Haley sat down in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the chair, Haley's head resting on his shoulder. "Do you remember when we had that huge fight about birth control?" Haley asked him softly, gently tracing her fingers over his chest. "Yeah. I was such a jerk to you. Dan had gotten into my head." He chuckled, holding her tightly. "That seems like so long ago. I thought it was over that night, you know? Can you imagine if we'd called it quits? All of this wouldn't exist." She said softly. Nathan smiled at her, "I try not to think about what my life would be like without you." He said to her, kissing her head. "Good thing you'll never have to." Haley whispered to him, smiling slightly. Nathan closed his eyes, holding her tightly to him. "I can't believe that Megan is pregnant. I hope that this Grayson dude isn't a complete jackass." He mumbled. "He seemed fairly nice, but the fact that William doesn't like him could be an issue." Haley said softly, brushing her fingers through Nathan's hair. Nathan nodded his head, "Yeah, well... No matter what happens, she'll have us to fall back on." He said quietly. Haley smiled at him, kissing his cheek. "You're a good brother, Nathan Scott." She hummed to him. "Step-brother." He corrected her, blinking his eyes open. Haley laughed quietly, resting her hand on his cheek, "My mistake. But you are a good brother to Lucas." She said softly, kissing him quickly. Nathan smiled at her, hugging her close to him. Haley laughed quietly, escaping his grasp and standing up, "I have to go." She said, glancing at the clock. "Hell no." He groaned, grabbing her hand and pulling her back down. "Nathan, I have to go to the cafe." She said softly, smiling at him. "I'll go with you." Nathan said, holding onto her tightly. "You have to stay here and get your work done while your sexy assistant drops more buttons on her shirt and drops more pens on the ground." Haley hummed, standing up once again. Nathan rested his hands on her sides, looking up at her. "Come on." He said softly. "Do not look at me like that, Nathan. Don't." She laughed. "I'm not looking at you in any certain way." He smirked at her. "Yes you are. I know that look. It's the same look you've been giving me forever, and the same look the Jamie inherited from you. It doesn't work anymore, Nathan." Haley said to him, setting her hands on his shoulders, tugging on his shirt collar. "I think it's working." He argued, tugging her closer. "It's not." She replied, kissing his head. "Stay." He said, frowning up at her. "Nathan, I've nearly abandoned Brooke. She has a life too, a whole other company that she needs to run." She said, brushing her fingers through Nathan's hair. "Okay, fine. Fine. I'll stay here and do my work, and I will see you at home. Do you need me to pick up the kids?" Nathan asked. Haley kissed him quickly, nodding her head. "That would be great. I'll see you at home." She said, smiling at him. Nathan stood up, looking at her. "Actually, let me walk you to the car." He offered. She nodded at him, accepting his arm when it was offered. He guided her out to the car, glancing inside. Nathan hesitated for a moment, before backing Haley up into the car, kissing her deeply. Haley wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down towards her. Nathan pulled away after a minute, smirking down at her. "That'll show her." He laughed, kissing her again. "I love you." Haley laughed, kissing his cheek. "Okay baby. I'll see you at home. Don't be too late." Nathan said, smiling down at her. Haley rubbed her hands down his chest, before sliding them around his waist. "I'll see you at home." She replied, kissing him one last time, and getting into the car. He waved at her as she drove away, letting out a small sigh and walking inside.

Haley walked into the busy cafe a few minutes later, waving at Brooke. She walked behind the counter, "I'm here to relieve you, Brooke Davis. Go work on your clothing. Especially your baby clothing, because I'll be needing some top notch ones soon." She said. Brooke stopped in her tracks, looking at Haley. "Are you pregnant?" She asked. "What? No, but I could see how that could of been very misleading." Haley laughed. "No, Quinn is pregnant, and apparently now so is Nathan's step sister. But keep that one quiet." She said, smiling at Brooke. "You worded that the wrong way." Brooke shook her head, laughing. Haley smiled at her, "Yeah, yeah. That door isn't shut for me, but it's not open right now." She said, laughing quietly. "You're just going to pull a Karen and have a baby when Jamie is eighteen?" Brooke laughed, raising her eyebrows. "Hey, I still have time in between now and then." Haley replied, glancing up when Trevor walked into the cafe. "Hey, isn't that the guy you've been on the news with?" Brooke asked her quietly. Haley sighed softly, shooshing her. "Brooke." She shook her head, glancing over at her friend. "Haley!" Trevor smiled as he got up to the counter. "Hey. I thought you were going home this morning?" Haley asked him, raising one eyebrow. "Oh, my parents talked me into staying a few extra days. I was going to come back next weekend for my mom's birthday, but instead I'm staying the whole week." He said. "Oh that's great! Well what can I get for you?" Haley asked him, smiling. "Well, what do you recommend?" Trevor asked, leaning forward a bit. "All of it's good. And I'm not just saying that." She laughed, shrugging. "Well I guess I'll take you word for it. I'll have the special." He hummed, drumming his fingers on the counter. "Coming right up." Haley said, nodding at him. Brooke grabbed Haley's arm, pulling her into the back. "Haley James Scott. Are you flirting with him?" She asked, crossing her arms. "What? No, Brooke. Don't be ridiculous." Haley said, shaking her head. "He's flirting with you." Brooke replied. "You sound like Nathan." Haley said. "I promise, there's no flirting going on. He's an old friend from high school. He was two grades younger than us." She said, shaking her head. "I'll tell you what he really wants, but it's not on the menu. He wants the special with a side of Haley James, minus the clothes." Brooke said, shrugging. "Brooke, stop it." Haley chuckled. "Go home. You're imagining things." She said softly. "Oh no, I'm not going home until I see how this all plays out. He probably has dreams of you helping him with his math homework, then helping him fix another problem, if you know what I'm saying." Brooke said, smirking slightly. "You're acting just like Nathan. Whatever, I'm just going to give him his food, and then come back and help other customers." Haley said, shaking her head. "We'll see if he let's that happen." Brooke said, walking back out to the front, glancing in his direction.

Haley came back out a few minutes later, taking Trevor his food. "There you are." She said, smiling. "Why don't you take a seat?" Trevor suggested. "I wish I could, but I can't. I have to run this place." She laughed. "So... You work here still? And own red bedroom?" He asked her. "I own this place too. With Brooke." She said, waving at Brooke, who was watching them closely. "You've been busy." He laughed, raising his eyebrows. "Yeah, it's sort of crazy. I'm not sure how I can manage the cafe, Red Bedroom, and two kids, but hey, Brooke has it worse." She laughed, shrugging. "I feel like we need to catch up, Haley. I remember you having one kid, but I didn't know that you had two." Trevor said, smiling up at her. Haley nodded, "Well, you'll be here all next week so I'm sure I'll see you again. I've got to get back though." She said, smiling at him. "This one is on the house. Feel free to stay as long as you need." She waved at him, before heading back over to Brooke. "I wonder if he was this in love with you in high school. He hasn't seen you since what... Senior year?" Brooke laughed. "Yeah, I never really saw him after you got me fired from my tutoring job." Haley said, laughing quietly. "Okay, I've been forgiven for that a long time ago." Brooke said, shaking her head. "But I'm going to get home. I'm sure Julian needs a break. I'll see you later, Haley. Make good choices." She teased, hugging Haley quickly and rushing out.

Haley walked into the Scott household a few hours later, hearing Quinn and Clay's voices. She stopped momentarily to listen to what they were saying. "Nathan! You need to fire her. What she did was totally inappropriate? Do you want a Nanny Carrie situation all over again?" Quinn asked him. "Quinn, stop it. She didn't even do anything wrong. It was an accident. Right, Nate?" Clay asked, looking over at his friend. Nathan sighed softly, "I don't know, Clay. Haley doesn't like her, and I know she wouldn't think this was an accident. I'm not to sure it was myself. It probably was, but everyone is just getting into my head." He said, shrugging. Haley stepped into view, raising her eyebrows. "What happened?" She asked, frowning slightly. "Tell her, Nathan." Quinn said. "That little slut is trying to zero in on your man. She obviously can't take a hint." She shook her head. "I was walking back into the office, and she came up to me to tell me something, and she tripped, and we fell over." Nathan informed her, sighing softly. "And she kind of just sat there on top of him for a second, staring into his eyes until he moved her off of him and got up." Quinn added. "But it could of been an accident." Nathan said, shaking his head. "Nathan, trust me. It wasn't an accident." Quinn turned to look at him. "Look, this isn't a decision for you to make, Quinn. This is a decision for me and Clay to make." He said, rolling his eyes at her. "Haley, tell him." Quinn said quickly, gesturing to Nathan. Haley sighed softly, "Nathan, it wasn't an accident. You know it wasn't. And so do you, Clay. And for whatever reason, you guys won't just take the hint and fire this girl. I know that you aren't completely clueless." She said. "She gets the job done, and she does it well." Clay said, shrugging. "Yeah, but Tami does her job well and she doesn't have to trip and fall into you." Quinn said, shaking her head. "Look, let's just stop with this conversation." Nathan said, sighing and shaking his head. Haley looked at him, frowning slightly. "It wasn't an accident." She said to him. "I know, Haley." He replied. "This is Nanny Carrie all over again, she hits on Nathan, and Nathan doesn't do anything about it." Quinn said. Nathan turned to her, "Quinn, just go home." He snapped, rubbing his head. "Nathan." Haley said, resting her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry." He said softly, nodding at Quinn. "I just don't want to talk about this anymore." He mumbled. Haley nodded her head slowly, kissing his cheek. "Sorry, Nathan." Quinn said, sighing. "Okay, now that we all love each other again. Dinner?" Clay suggested, rubbing his hands together. "Great, what are you making?" Haley laughed, shaking her head at Clay. "Hales, don't be like that." Clay said, shaking his head at her. "Okay, fine. You guys go watch your basketball, or play video games, before I put you to work." She replied, waving them off. Clay and Nathan hurried away, leaving Haley and Quinn in the kitchen.

Quinn looked at Haley quickly, "Okay, go." She said. Haley raised her eyebrows. "Go?" She asked. "You were holding back, Haley. I know it." Quinn replied, sitting down at the counter. "You care more than I do." Haley said, shrugging her shoulders. Quinn looked at her, "You're probably right. She probably doesn't want to rip his clothes off." She said, looking over at her younger sister. Haley sighed, "Quinn." She said, shaking her head. "What, Haley? I'm just saying..." Quinn shrugged. "Fine." Haley sucked in a deep breath. "Who the hell does she think she is?" She said, shaking her head quickly. "Right? Why does she think it's okay for her to treat Nathan like that?" Quinn said, rolling her eyes. "If I would of been there when she tripped and fell with him.." Haley trailed off, shaking her head. "That's a bold move, for real. I can't believe she did that." She said, sighing and leaning on the counter. "Do you think he won't fire her because he likes it? Because that was the issue with Carrie." Haley sighed, looking up at Quinn. "No, Hales. I think she just gets the work done. I really don't think he pays much attention to her." Quinn reassured her, frowning. "You're probably right." Haley said, sighing softly. "I can't believe her! I mean honestly, I don't know why she even thinks she has a chance. Nathan literally dropped her the second he saw you were there and followed you like a lost puppy." Quinn laughed, walking around the counter and hugging her sister. "She does all this stuff when people are around! That's just so ridiculous." Haley shook her head, sighing heavily. "She wants attention. And she wants it from Nathan." Quinn said, shrugging. "Let me tell you, the next time I see her I might bitch slap her." Haley laughed, shaking her head. Quinn laughed quietly, "Let me do it. She can't fight a pregnant lady." She said, smirking. Haley smiled, "Okay, deal." She laughed. "How're things going? Are you feeling alright?" She asked, looking at Quinn. Quinn nodded, "I'm doing alright. It's difficult to control myself sometimes, though. How the hell did you do this in high school, and still end up being valedictorian?" She asked, sitting back down. Haley laughed, shaking her head. "The last couple years of high school were far from normal for me. I'm not sure how everything that happened, happened. But hey, it all worked out so." She shrugged her shoulders. "What, getting married, going on tour, getting pregnant, getting married again, getting hit by a car, having your baby on graduation day during your graduation speech isn't normal?" Quinn laughed, smirking. "Sounds like just another day in my life." Haley laughed, shrugging her shoulders.

At around 2 in the morning, Nathan and Haley were sitting on the couch, both of them drunk off their asses. "Shh, Hales. You have to be quiet." Nathan said to her, laughing quietly. Haley smiled at him, "I can't be quiet when my husband is so sexy." She slurred out, brushing her fingers through his hair. He smirked at her, "Oh yeah?" He asked, winking at her. Haley attempted to wink back at him, instead blinking both eyes at him and laughing. "I can't do it." She laughed. Nathan shook his head, covering her mouth. "You're being too loud, Haley." He laughed. Haley grabbed his collar, beginning to unbutton his shirt. "Shh, Nathan." She said, rubbing her hands up and down his chest. Nathan grinned at her, slipping his shirt off of his shoulders, feeling Haley begin to kiss along his chest, leaving an occasional lovebite. He looked around with dazed eyes when there was a knock at the door. Haley lifted up her head quickly, looking at Nathan and frowning. "Who the hell do you think that is?" She asked. "Probably the cops are here for you, that's what it usually is." He replied, smirking. She pushed him softly, getting up slowly, stumbling a bit before she caught her balance, walking over to the door. After a second she pulled it open, raising her eyebrows, looking up at her oldest brother, the second oldest of her siblings. "Brandon? What are you doing here?"


	24. Chapter 24

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **So it never says what Haley's brothers' names are, so I'm just going to make them up, and the order. So it goes: Vivian, Brandon, Andrew, Jason, Taylor, Quinn (Quinn, Taylor? I'm not entirely sure), and then Haley.**

 **Chapter 24**

"Uh, Hey." Brandon began, rubbing his neck and sighing softly. "Can I come in?" He asked. Haley stepped aside quickly, glancing over at her husband. "What are you doing awake?" He asked, before his gaze shifted over to Nathan. "Oh. Gross, Haley." Brandon laughed. Nathan stood up slowly, picking up his shirt and buttoning it up. "What are you doing here, Brandon?" Haley asked him, folding her arms and raising her eyebrows. "Are you drunk? It's Jason." Brandon said, looking at her. "I'm a little bit drunk, yes. But I know it's you." She said. Nathan walked over to them, tripping over his own feet a little bit, chuckling. "I'm going to go get some water." He said to Haley, smiling at her. Haley nodded at him, pulling him into a kiss. Nathan forgot who was around for a second, deepening the kiss, resting his hands on her hips. After a second, he was yanked away by his shirt. "Get some water, Scott." Brandon said, nodding at him. "Sheesh, you storm my house in the middle of the night when I'm about to sex up my wife, them push me around." Nathan grumbled, stumbling into the kitchen and getting himself and Haley some water. Haley shook her head, "Sorry." She said softly, sighing. Brandon shook his head, "It's better if we don't talk until you're sober." He said, sighing. "No, I don't think so." Haley said, shaking her head quickly. "You owe me." She protested, thanking Nathan for the water once he returned. "Nathan, tell her to just wait until morning." Brandon said, glancing at him. Nathan turned to Haley, "Just wait until morning." He said, shrugging. Haley raised one eyebrow, pulling Nathan down. "Nathan, tell him that he stormed our house at two in the morning, so he owes an explanation. If you don't, I can make your life very unhappy for the next couple days." She whispered in his ear, before pressing a long kiss to the skin just underneath his earlobe. Nathan let out a small sigh, closing his eyes. "Brandon, you have to give us some type of explanation." He said, shrugging. Brandon scowled, "Woah, Hales. That is totally not fair at all. But if you want to play it that way, fine." He said, shaking his head. He stepped in between Nathan and Haley, pushing them apart a little bit. "I think that you're standing too close to my little sister, Nathan. " He said, scowling slightly. "In fact, I think that you're almost always standing too close to her. So why don't you work on that?" Brandon said, nodding at Nathan. "Why don't you learn to button up your shirt too?" He suggested, nodding to the uneven buttons. "Hey, no! You don't get to pick him apart." Haley scowled. "Well, I'll stop if he just sides with me. In fact, Nathan... If you side with me, I'll give you permission to leave any family function whenever you want, just to have sex with my sister." Brandon said, smirking. Nathan raised one eyebrow, glancing at Haley. "Remember, I never said which sister. So Taylor could be included in that. Quinn, Vivian. It doesn't have to be specific." Brandon added, shrugging. "Any time? You'll watch my kids too?" Nathan asked. Brandon nodded, "Any time. I'll watch your kids." He confirmed. Haley shook her head, "Nathan, you're drunk. Don't even think about it, because you know it wouldn't work." She said, crossing her arms. "This is a totally weird conversation anyways." She grumbled out. "Just let me go to bed, Haley." Brandon said, turning to her. Haley let out a sigh, "Fine." She said, gesturing to the stairs. "Go ahead." She sighed, watching her older brother rush up the stairs.

After he was gone, Nathan grabbed her by the waist, pulling her to him. "I don't think I stand too close to you." He smirked. Haley smiled up at him, beginning to kiss his neck softly. Nathan tilted his head back, frowning when he felt his wife rush away from him. "What?" He asked, frowning. "We could of gotten him to talk, Nathan. But you got lost on the idea of leaving my family for sex, which you know would never actually work." Haley said, walking into the living room, beginning to pick up beer bottles. "So since you ruined my plan to get my brother to talk, we have to wait until tomorrow. So prepare for what you've just brought down onto yourself." She smirked at him, winking. "I know that you're more alert now because you can actually wink." Nathan grumbled, walking in and helping her pick stuff up. After throwing the bottles away, and cleaning up the wine glasses, the pair headed up the stairs to bed.

The next day, Nathan woke up at about ten o'clock, finding Haley still in bed net to him. He sat up quickly, shaking her. "The kids." He said, sucking in a deep breath at the sharp pain that went through his head. Haley looked at him, "I already took them then came home and got back in bed." She grumbled, pulling him so he was laying back down behind her, her back pressed up against his chest. He nodded his head slowly, holding her tightly to him. "Sleep helps the hangover, so go back to sleep." She mumbled. After about another hour, both of them were downstairs and ready for the day. "Are you going into work?" Nathan asked her, wrapping his arms around her from behind while she stood at the counter, making him some pancakes because that's what he'd begged her for. "I don't think so." Haley said, leaning into him. "Then I'm not going to either. I'll call Fortitude and let Elizabeth know." He said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Haley grabbed it from his hands, shaking her head. "I'll do it." She said, smiling slightly. Nathan nodded, resting her chin on her head. Haley dialed Fortitude, sighing when she heard Elizabeth's annoyingly perky voice. "Fortitude, how can I help you?" She asked. "Hey. It's Haley. I'm just calling to say- Nathan, cut it out. I'm on the phone." She said, fake laughing. Nathan raised his eyebrows, looking down at her. "I'm calling to tell you that Nathan won't be coming in today. See you." Haley said quickly, hanging up the phone. Nathan chuckled, "I wasn't even doing anything." He said, sliding his hand into the back pocket of her jeans. "Yeah but I wanted that bitch to think we were having sex." Haley informed him, shrugging. He laughed, shaking his head. Brandon walked down the stairs, clearing his throat. "Nathan." He said, nodding at him. Nathan sighed softly, moving away from Haley and walking behind the counter, sitting down. Brandon took a seat next to Nathan, "Smells great, Hales." He said, nodding. "Yeah, Nathan begged me for them. But you can only have them if you tell me what's going on." She said, taking a drink of her water. "Marisa kicked me out. We're probably getting divorced." He said. Haley dropped the glass she was drinking out of, choking and coughing on her water. Nathan stood up quickly, hurrying around a picking up Haley, setting her away from the broken glass. "Hales, you can't drop stuff when you're not wearing shoes." He said quietly, shaking his head. Haley looked at Nathan for a second, before looking over at Brandon. "But, you guys have been married forever. Since I was like eleven years old, Brandon." She said, frowning. Brandon sighed softly, "I know, Haley." He replied, watching as Nathan quietly cleaned up the broken glass and water off the floor. Nathan quickly flipped the pancakes, before turning back to the broken glass. "What happened?" Haley asked, frowning at her brother. "Haley..." Brandon trailed off, sighing. "We just... Fell out of love. We both have demanding jobs, and our kids aren't listening to us because one of us tells them one thing, then the other says the opposite." He shrugged. "Brandon, you have kids to think about in this situation." Haley said. "Haley, we've thought about them a lot." He said, sighing softly. "We both work a lot, and we've been fighting so much the past year. We haven't slept in the same bed for months. When you guys all came for my 40th birthday party, I slept on the floor in my own room." Brandon said, sighing softly. "We got married when we were too young, and there's always been fighting a disagreeing, but it's never been like this." He said, looking over at her. "Too young?" Haley laughed. "Do you realize who you're talking too right now? You got married when you were what? Twenty? We got married when we were sixteen, Brandon. Twenty is not too young. Plus, you guys had been friends all your life." Haley said, scowling at him. "Yeah, but we only dated for like a month before we got engaged, Haley." He said, sighing softly. "Brandon. You've been married for nearly twenty years, and now you decide it's not going so well? What the hell?" She asked him, shaking her head. "Haley, please don't take this so hard." He said quietly. "Brandon! She's been one of the people that I turn to for advice. Especially after Mom died. My whole life I've looked up to her, and now you're telling me that you've basically been faking it the whole time." Haley said to him. Nathan let out a deep breath, walking over to Haley and kissing her head, glancing at Brandon. "Hales, come on. We haven't been faking it the whole time. Things have just gotten bad." Brandon said softly. "You can't just give up after twenty years, Brandon." Haley said, grabbing a plate and putting some pancakes and syrup on it, handing it to Nathan. "Thanks, baby." Nathan said quietly, moving to sit down next to Brandon again.

There was dead silence in the room for about three minutes, before Nathan spoke up. "Okay, so I was watching this basketball game at about seven last night, and-" He was cut off when Brandon started talking. "I'm not giving up, Haley. She kicked me out, I didn't leave." He said, shaking his head. Haley looked at him, "You're both giving up, it does just take one person to ruin a marriage." She said to him. "You're taking this so personally, Haley! It's not like I think in five year you and Nathan are going to get divorced. You guys aren't the same as anyone else in the family. We could all get divorced but you two would just hold into each other for dear life." Brandon said, shaking his head. "I'm not worried about that, Brandon." She said to him, crossing her arms. "Haley, it's not your place to decide what happens all the time!" Brandon replied. Haley picked up a pancake, throwing it at him and shaking her head. "You're giving up!" She snapped. Brandon raised his eyebrows, grabbing one of the pancakes off of Nathan's plate and throwing it at her in return. Nathan looked at the two of them with wide eyes, sighing when Haley threw one again, before it became an all out pancake brawl. "Enough!" Nathan yelled after a minute. "I don't know what the hell you guys do to each other, but when you're around you become children. Whether it's pushing someone in the pool, or having a pancake war in my perfectly nice and clean house, you all find the most childish ways to fight each other." He said, shaking his head. Haley looked at Nathan, before looking at the pancake in her hand, letting out a deep sigh. Brandon looked at him, "Sorry man, I didn't mean to take your breakfast." He said, sighing softly. "You guys are worse than Jamie and Lydia. I'll clean this up. You two go clean yourselves up then go outside and talk, please." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head.

About twenty minutes later, Haley and Brandon were sitting outside in the chairs. "I can't believe this, Brandon. You guys are making a mistake." She said. "Maybe, Haley. Nothing is for sure yet. We haven't even tried couples counseling, but we're going to. We can pretty much tell where it's headed, though. Especially if things stay the way they are right now." Brandon said, sighing softly. He looked up when Nathan came outside, dropping a sweatshirt onto Haley. "It's cold, Haley. You're killing me. Wear a jacket." He grumbled, before walking inside. Brandon watched them, looking over at Haley. "You're the only sibling I've told, Haley. So keep it quiet. Quinn told me that when she got divorced, you tried to talk her out of it. You said that everyone goes through hard times, and that you were worried because if her and David were getting divorced, what did that mean for you and Nathan? And I'm going to tell you the same thing she told you. You guys still do the little things for each other. He's cleaning up a mess we made, so we can talk. He noticed you weren't wearing a jacket, so he brought one out to you. One that looks like it's probably his, because he knows that you probably prefer it over your own. I've watched him, Haley. I've always watched him. I've watched the way he looks at you, the way he talks to you, and the way he acts around you. I've been in the middle of a conversation with him before, and he totally ditched me by myself, and ran across your yard to the door, just to open it for you. I've watched him do that. I've seen him zone out on you when he's in a conversation with someone. I've had conversations with him about you, and he talks about you like you walk on water. Like you could do no wrong. Everyone has their moments, Haley. But he's with you for life, everyone who knows you guys, knows it. And the same goes for you. So please, don't ever doubt that you'll be together your whole lives." Brandon said, smiling at Haley. Haley let out a deep breath, "Brandon, I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about you, about what this is going to mean for your kids, for our whole family." She said, shaking her head. "Nothing is for sure, Haley. But she did not kick me out on good terms. That's why I'm here. I mean- I live in Florida, and I'm in North Carolina. It's not looking that great." He said, letting out a deep breath. Haley looked at him, "You have to fight for it, Brandon. Marriage isn't easy. Not for me and Nathan, not for Quinn and Clay, not for anyone. It's about compromise, and spending time with each other. You have to make sure you put family above work." She reached over, smacking his arm. "There's a point where you have to stop fighting." Brandon replied. Haley shook her head, sighing and closing her eyes. "Why did you come here, Brandon?" She asked him. "Because you're the smartest person I know, and you deal with problems well." He said, shrugging. Haley sighed, "Dammit, you know how to butter me up." She said, sighing. "And because you're the only person I know that can fit half of America in their house." Brandon laughed. She shook her head, rolling her eyes. "You're welcome to stay as long as you need, but do you know how long you'll be staying?" She asked him. He shrugged his shoulders, "Probably not too long. I was thinking maybe a few days, then I would try to go back home and talk to her. Just give her some space for a little bit." Brandon sighed, sucking in a deep breath. Haley looked at him, before glancing inside the house. "Nathan and I have almost gotten divorced twice. I'm sure you knew that, but I never really talked to you about it." She said softly, looking over at him. Brandon nodded his head, letting out a small sigh. "Once was during our senior year, with the whole tour thing. And I'm sure you heard about the second time, because Vivian can't keep her mouth shut." Haley said, letting out a deep breath. Brandon nodded his head slowly, "Haley..." He said, sighing. "We were both so miserable, Brandon. Then Jamie got kidnapped, and it opened our eyes. No couple is perfect, especially not Nathan and me. I'm sure you've watched the news, and have seen all of that. That has put a lot of strain on us. A lot. And a few days ago, Jamie asked us if we were going to get a divorce, because we were screaming at each other at five in the morning. That opened our eyes. Sometimes you just need someone to come smack you in the face until you realize what's going on. I'd be happy to smack you in the face as much as you want. But talk to your kids, talk to Marisa. If you really want a divorce, then I'll stand behind you, even though I love Marisa so much, but you're my brother." Haley said, nodding at him. Brandon smiled at her, nodding his head. "I told you that you were smart, Hales. You could of married Lucas and maximized your brain power." He said, chuckling. "Yeah, Nathan makes me think more, so really he maximizes my brain." She laughed. "I always thought you were going to marry Lucas. We all did, and I'm not joking about that. We had bets on when you were going to marry him. I thought you would get married to Lucas, at twenty one. I bet 50 dollars on you, Haley. If you would of just married him at 21, I would of won 300 dollars. Getting married at 16 to Nathan Scott was definitely not something anyone expected." He laughed, shaking his head. "Hey, I didn't expect it either. Trust me, I did not walk into my junior year and say "Hey, let's marry someone that I can't stand this year." I was surprised too." Haley shrugged, smiling towards the house. "Vivian told me that you used to call her and complain about him, and then one day it change to "he's not so bad" and then it changed to "He's my boyfriend" then it changed to "I'm in love with him" and then it changed to "we're married" and finally it changed to "I swear I'm not pregnant." That's crazy. That you got married when you were sixteen. I was ready to come beat the shit out of him. I'm not sure I could of taken him though." Brandon laughed. "I know, it's kind of funny. How things turned out. Lucas and Nathan are brothers, and actually act like brothers. Lucas is married to Nathan's ex-girlfriend, and I'm married to someone I went into high school hating." Haley chuckled, looking down. "You've known her your whole life, Brandon. There's got to be some way you can fix things." She said quietly. Brandon looked at her, letting out a deep breath. "I'll work on it, Haley. I promise. I don't want my kids to suffer and be unhappy. But if the only way to make myself happy again, is to get divorced then that's what I need to do." He mumbled, looking down. Haley nodded, "That sounds fair." She said, standing up. "Let's go back inside, it's freezing."

Haley walked into the house with Brandon following behind her. Nathan looked up at them from where he was washing off the counter, "Is the fighting over? Because the next mess, you're cleaning up." He chuckled. Haley walked over to him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him. Nathan raised his eyebrows, kissing her back for a second before pulling away. "What was that for?" He asked. Haley brushed her fingers over his cheek, smiling up at him. "You're just an amazing man, Nathan Scott. I'm so glad I married you." She whispered, kissing his cheek. Nathan raised his eyebrows, looking over at Brandon. "If this is what the conversations she has with you make her do, then please, go right ahead and get into a fight with anything you want. I'll clean it up." He laughed. Brandon shook his head, "Sometimes I think you forget that I'm her brother, and I don't want to see stuff like that." He said, sighing softly. "Oh come on, Brandon. It's been fifteen years, give it a break man." Nathan chuckled, kissing Haley's head, hugging her close to him. "Remember the whole personal space thing we talked about, Scott? Well I'm putting my foot down." Brandon said, nodding at him. Nathan looked at him, then looked at Haley, sighing softly and taking a small step away from her. "Nathan, you don't need to listen to him. He's just trying to act tough." Haley said, kissing Nathan's cheek softly. "He does need to listen to me. You're my baby sister, I'm the boss. He's still the guy that made you get a tattoo." Brandon shrugged, shaking his head at Nathan. "Dude, you can't still be upset about that?" Haley laughed, pulling Nathan back over to her, rubbing his back softly. "You were way too innocent and young to have a tattoo, you still are." Brandon said, shrugging. "I have two kids, there is nothing innocent or young about me, Brandon. This is such a weird conversation." Haley said, shaking her head. Nathan chuckled quietly, "Look, I'll stick to personal space if you two stop arguing over this. It's stupid." He said, kissing Haley's head. "I'm going to go to the Rivercourt with Davis and Jude for a little bit. Brooke is feeling very overwhelmed. She called and was looking for you then vented to me, so I offered to take them. I'm going to go change." Nathan said, waving at Haley and walking upstairs. Haley looked at her brother, shaking her head. "I don't know why you do that, Brandon. I mean, fifteen years later and you're still trying to make him feel uncomfortable." She sighed. "It's my job, Haley." He laughed, smiling at her. "I'm your older brother, and I wasn't even invited to the wedding." Brandon said, fake pouting. "You were invited to come when we renewed our vows. You just didn't come." She replied, shrugging. "Fair enough." He said, looking at her.

"So, how's Lucas doing?" Brandon asked her. "He's doing good. They're actually moving back here probably." Haley said, smiling. "You must be excited for that. I think about moving back here sometimes too, you know? At first when you and Nathan moved back here I thought you were nuts. But it feels like home." He shrugged. "If this whole thing blows up and we get divorced, maybe I'll move back here." He said, looking over at her. "Tree Hill is a long ways away from Florida, Brandon." Haley said to him, shrugging her shoulders. "I know, but you guys like it here. And Quinn likes it here. Your kids like it here, so maybe mine would too?" He looked at her, sighing softly. "I don't think they'd want to move. But maybe." She said softly, frowning. Nathan walked back down the stairs, carrying a basketball in his hands. "Okay, baby. I'll see you later. I'll pick up the kids too." He hummed, kissing her quickly, nodding at Brandon. "See you later, man." He waved, hurrying out to the garage. Brandon watched as Haley's eyes followed him out, chuckling quietly. "What?" Haley asked, looking over at him. "Nothing, nothing. He's just a good guy." Brandon smiled. "When are you guys going to have more kids? You're not getting any younger." He teased. "Oh come on." Haley rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "By the time I was your age, Haley. I had been married for four years less than you, and I had two kids more than you." Brandon said, shrugging. "Quinn is almost caught up to you. I know how you like to win." He laughed. "Why is everyone suddenly thinking that I'm going to have another kid? What is I like two kids?" Haley asked, shaking her head. "Because you have a teenager. Your nest is going to be feeling pretty empty soon." He shrugged. She scowled at him, "Dude, not cool." She said, sighing. "It happens quick, Hales. One second they're a baby, and the next second they're eighteen and you catch them smoking with their friends." Brandon shrugged. "Jack? You're kidding!" Haley frowned. "I wish I was." He said, sighing softly. "Wow, that's crazy. Jamie got into a fight a few weeks ago." She said, shaking her head. "Oh man, you better watch that kid." Brandon chuckled. "I know. But he's a good kid. So is Jack." Haley shrugged. "Oh, and by the way... If Nathan's mom stops by and says anything, I'm pregnant and you didn't find us drunk last night." She laughed. "Nathan's step sister is pregnant and scared, so we're taking the fall for her. I'm not pregnant." Haley said, shrugging. Brandon raised his eyebrows, "You two always find some drama to get into." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Tell me about it. We've been dodging it fairly well until Nathan's mom got engaged. Now it seems like it's one problem after the next." She said, sighing. "Yeah, I don't really like seeing my sister's husband on the news hugging another chick. Or my sister with a guy that's not her husband." Brandon laughed, shrugging. "Yeah. Well... We're dealing with that. It's just a series of misunderstandings and poorly timed photos thrown together." Haley said, shaking her head and sighing. "Yeah, well. I'm sorry that you guys have to go through shit. You don't deserve it." Brandon said softly. Haley nodded, letting out a deep breath.

Nathan had returned home at about four o'clock, Jude hanging from his neck behind him, and Davis hanging from the front. The remainder of the day had been very hectic, Davis and Jude never ran out of energy, and when one of them did, the other one stepped up and took his place, becoming twice as hyper. It was now about 10:30, Nathan was asleep on the floor with Davis laying across his stomach, and Jude laying across his legs. Haley chuckled quietly at the sight of them, taking a picture and sending it to Brooke. Brooke quickly replied with 'Haha! What a trooper.' Haley smiled down at her husband, poking him with her foot softly. "Nathan." She hummed out. Nathan blinked his eyes open, looking up at her, "Hey baby." He said softly, lifting Davis off of him, sitting up and lifting Jude off of him. Jude started to stir slightly, chasing Nathan to freeze. "Shh, no. Don't wake up." He said quickly, letting out a sigh of relief when he relaxed. He stood up slowly, picking up the two boys off the ground. "I'm going to stay down and turn off all of the lights. I'll meet you up there." Haley whispered. Nathan nodded in reply, heading up the stairs quickly. Within the next half hour, they were both in bed. Haley smiled at her husband, reaching out and running her fingers through his hair. He blinked his eyes open, smiling at her. "I have no idea how Brooke and Julian do it. They're insane." Nathan laughed. "They love you so much, Nathan. It's not fair." Haley chuckled, kissing him softly. "You aren't missing much, that's for sure. I just fell asleep on the floor, when I have a super nice bed." He laughed. "And I had two kids laying on me, when I could of been next to my super hot wife." He added, winking at her. Haley chuckled quietly, kissing his cheek. "They're cute, though." She shrugged. "Sometimes I miss having a younger boy, you know? I love Lydia to death, and I love everything about her but she doesn't like basketball that much and that crushes me inside. Jamie is getting older so he's always with his friends now." Nathan said softly, glancing at his wife. "Plus, you ruined his life and made him short." He teased her. Haley laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "Sorry. There's still hope that he'll grow. He's only thirteen." She said, brushing her fingers over the stubble on his cheek. Nathan laughed quietly, nodding at her. "I swear, if he doesn't get taller... It's all your fault." He said, smirking. "He might be busy with his friends a lot now, Nathan. But he looks up to you so much. You're still his hero." Haley said softly, smiling at him. Nathan sighed softly, looking at her for a second, "I don't feel like I'm worthy of being his hero." He said quietly. Haley sat up quickly, looking down at him. "Nathan Scott, you did not just say that." She said quickly, frowning. He let out a small sigh, closing his eyes. She shook her head, patting his cheek. "Hey, no. Focus on me." She said, kissing his cheek. "Nathan, you are so heroic. You've overcome so much in your life. You've always been so brave in every situation. You've made a name for yourself in this world. Nearly ten years ago, you were in a wheelchair, Nathan." Haley said, looking at him. "I was in a wheelchair because I got into a bar fight, Haley. I'm sure he didn't understand it at the time, but I'm sure he does now." Nathan sighed, closing his eyes. She frowned at him, running her fingers through his hair, "Nathan. You were just about to have your dreams come true, and you lost it all. But you didn't give up, Nathan. That's what's admirable about you." Haley said softly, kissing him quickly. Nathan sighed softly, "I'm going to go to bed now." He said quietly. "Please don't put that wall back up again, baby." She said, tugging on his shirt. "Haley. I'm fine. There's no wall, I just don't want to talk about it." He said, shrugging his shoulders. Haley kissed his cheek, nuzzling her nose against his cheek. "Fine, Nathan." She said softly. "Everyone thinks we're going to have another kid soon." She looked at him. "If people ask me, I tell them to talk to you." Nathan chuckled. "I don't think I can be pregnant and have a moody teenager. Would I be able to last nine months without alcohol?" Haley laughed, shaking her head. "You could do anything you put your mind to, Haley James." He hummed, glancing down at her. "Plus, you were pregnant in high school and I was a moody teenager." Nathan said, winking at her. "I don't think that now is really the right time. I'm sure once Quinn's baby, and Megan's baby is born then I'll be baby hungry. But right now I kind of like the way things are." She said softly, tracing her fingers over Nathan's chest. "Just let me know, and I'll be ready." He chuckled, yawning. "Okay, goodnight Hales." He chuckled, kissing her head.


	25. Chapter 25

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **I sort of reference one of James' Instagram posts in this because I thought it was funny.**

 **Chapter 25**

It had been a week, and Brandon was still at their house. It was driving both Nathan and Haley crazy. There would be points in the middle of the night where he would text Haley to come downstairs, and then cry on her shoulder and tell her all about Marisa. She didn't really mind doing it at first, but now it was driving her and Nathan insane. "Hey Hales?" Nathan asked her while they were getting ready in the morning after dropping the kids off at school, "Yeah?" Haley asked from where she was putting on her make up, glancing at him. "I keep having this nightmare that your brother came to our house in the middle of the night a week ago, and he still hasn't gone home. And sometimes, he makes you come downstairs and cry with him in the middle of the night. Oh, and that we haven't had sex in a week. But that can't be true?" He asked her, smirking slightly. "Nathan..." Haley chuckled, shaking her head. "Oh, and our anniversary is let me think... Tomorrow? And he better go stay with Quinn and Clay. Because the kids are going to Brooke's." He said, pulling his shirt over his head. Haley sighed softly, "He's going through a hard time right now, Nathan." She reminded him. Nathan nodded his head, "I know, baby. I know. But tomorrow is our anniversary." He pouted, leaning against the counter. "Or maybe he should watch the kids and we can go out of town." He suggested, shrugging. "No, I'll talk to Quinn and Clay. And I'll talk to him." She said softly. "Good." Nathan said, moving behind her and wrapping his arms around her, resting his chin on her head. "Fifteen years of waking up to this beautiful face every day. No better feeling in the world." He whispered, smiling at her. Haley smiled slightly, "I can't believe it, really." She said quietly. "I still don't know how I got someone as amazing as you. You're way out of my league." Nathan chuckled, kissing her head. She laughed quietly, shaking her head. "Stop it. You're handsome. And I am really loving the facial hair. It makes you look ruggedly sexy." Haley smiled, leaning back against him. "We could always go to my office, you know." He pointed out. She laughed quietly, turning to look at him. "Yeah, yeah. You wish." She laughed, smiling at him. "Why don't we go to lunch today?" Nathan suggested, looking down at her. "We can invite your brother, and maybe knock some sense into him." He shrugged. "So you're asking me and my brother on a date?" She teased him, rubbing his shoulder softly. "Yeah, I guess I am." Nathan shrugged, kissing her forehead. "Okay. But we have to go to the Cafe because Brooke and I are trying out this new thing where we just trust our employees, rather than staying there the whole time. We'll see how it goes. I just want to check in. I know we eat there all the time, but Brandon hasn't been there since we opened it. And it's been open for awhile." Haley hummed, smiling at him. Nathan nodded his head, kissing her softly. "Alright, I like the food so it's okay." He hummed, resting his hands on her sides, pulling her closer to him. Haley looked up at him, "You can't look at me like that right now, Nathan." She said softly. Nathan shook his head, "I don't know what you mean." He chuckled. She shook her head, laughing quietly. "Whatever, Nathan. You know what I'm talking about." She kissed him quickly. "I'm going to head downstairs. You better hurry before I kick your brother out." He teased, winking at her and walking out.

Haley walked downstairs a few minutes later, glancing at the time. She found Nathan and Brandon in the kitchen sitting next to each other silently, each of them eating cereal. After a moment of silence, Brandon looked up. "Okay, okay. I have a question. I've always wondered this, but now I just have to ask." He said, looking over at Haley. Haley raised her eyebrow, nodding. "Um, alright. Ask away." She said. Brandon looked over at Nathan, chuckling quietly. "Does Nathan shave his chest, or is it really like that?" He asked. Haley looked over at Nathan, before glancing back at Brandon. "That's an odd question. What made you think of that?" She asked, laughing quietly. "I don't know. I've been swimming with you guys before, and I did nearly walk in on you two last week." He shrugged. "That's such a weird question..." Haley trailed off, looking over at Nathan. "Well?" Brandon asked. "He doesn't shave his chest." She laughed. Nathan sighed softly, "I really don't like that you guys are having this conversation with me in the room." He grumbled. "Really? Andrew thought he shaved it, or that you made him." Brandon chuckled. "Nope." Haley shrugged, smiling at Nathan. "I like it." She added. "Gross." Brandon said, shaking his head. She laughed quietly, nodding at Nathan. "Okay, I'm done. I'm going to head over to Clay's." Nathan grumbled, walking over and kissing Haley's forehead. "I'll see you two at lunch." He said, nodding at Brandon. Haley nodded, "Noon. Why don't you invite Quinn and Clay too?" She suggested. Nathan nodded his head, "Alright, I will. See you guys." He said, walking out. "So, now you can tell me the truth. Does he shave it?" Brandon asked. Haley laughed, rolling her eyes. "No, Brandon." She said. "Oh come on, Haley. It's not like you're around him all the time. He probably does it in the shower." He shrugged. Haley raised one eyebrow, "He doesn't do it in the shower, Brandon. Trust me." She chuckled, looking at him. "Haley. Don't." He grumbled. "You set yourself up for that one, buddy." She shrugged, laughing. Brandon shook his head, "You're the worst." He grumbled, sighing.

Haley walked into the cafe with Brandon at about noon, seeing Nathan sitting with Quinn, Clay, and someone she was totally and completely unhappy to see; Elizabeth. "Who's that?" Brandon asked softly. "Nathan's whore." She grumbled, walking over to the table. "Oh, look! It's Haley." Quinn said, nodding in her direction. Nathan stood up, "Hey baby." He said quickly, walking over to Haley. Haley pulled his face down to hers, kissing him quickly. Nathan kissed her back for a second, before pulling away. "Hey honey." She smiled up at him. He nodded at Brandon, "Hey man." He said softly. Brandon nodded at him, raising his eyebrows and glancing in Elizabeth's direction. "This is my assistant, Elizabeth. Elizabeth, this is Haley's brother, Brandon." Nathan said, shrugging. "Hello." Elizabeth smiled, standing up. "Look, I better go. The food is great here, Haley. I'll see you soon, Nathan." She said, walking out, only pausing for a moment to rest her hand on Nathan's bicep. After she was gone, Nathan let out a deep breath, pulling out Haley's chair for her. He sat down next to her, Brandon sitting down across from Haley. Brandon was staring daggers into Nathan, a small scowl on his face. "So, that was totally uncomfortable and not fun at all." Clay said, laughing quietly. "Nathan, why did you talk to her?" Quinn asked. "She came up and said hello to me. I didn't expect her to sit down." He grumbled, looking over at Haley. "It's fine, Nathan." She said softly, letting out a small sigh. "You know, that's really funny, Nathan. That your assistant is beautiful, and she touches your arm, and sits with you at lunch." Brandon spoke up, clearing his throat. Nathan looked over at Brandon, sighing softly. "Anyways." Clay cleared his throat. "What are you guys doing tomorrow?" He asked, glancing over at them. "Nothing really. Probably just going to catch up on all the sleep we've been missing out on since Jamie was born." Nathan chuckled, smiling at Haley. "Wait, what's tomorrow?" Brandon asked, looking around the table. Haley let out a small sigh, "It's our anniversary." She informed him. "Oh shit." He said, looking at them. "I was planning on telling you today... Marisa is coming up with the kids. They're on a plane right now." He rubbed the back of his neck. "You'll just have to find somewhere else to stay tomorrow night then." Nathan said, frowning. "Nathan." Haley said, squeezing his hand. "No, Hales. That's not fair." He protested, frowning. Quinn cleared her throat, glancing at the waitress. "Hey Haley!" The waitress smiled at her, waving. "Hey. How're things going today?" Haley asked, smiling. "They're going fairly well. A lot better than yesterday. What can I get for you?" The girl asked, looking around the table. Everyone ordered their food quickly, before Nathan spoke up again. "Haley." He said softly, looking at her. "Nathan, it's alright." She whispered. "No, it's not." He whispered in return, scowling slightly. "Hey. It's going to be fine. We'll work it out, okay?" She replied, glancing around the table. Nathan let out a deep sigh, pushing his fingers through his hair. "Haley, it's fine, really. We can stay somewhere else." Brandon said. "We'll figure something else out, Brandon. It's not a big deal." Haley smiled at him. "You could stay at our place. It will be cramped, but you could." Clay suggested. Quinn looked at him, "Clay, we don't have the room for everyone." She said, shrugging. "It's really alright, guys. Nathan and I can figure something else out." Haley said, looking at Nathan. Nathan shook his head, looking down at his water, swirling it around with the straw. "I'm so sorry, I totally spaced it." Brandon said softly, sighing. "No, Brandon. You've had a lot on your mind. It's alright, really. I'm looking forward to seeing Marisa and the kids again." She said, smiling at her brother. Brandon sighed softly, nodding his head. "They should be here by the time your kids get out of school." He said, smiling slightly. "We'll try to stay out of your hair, really. I'm sorry guys." He apologized again. Haley shook her head, "It really isn't that big of a deal, Brandon. It's good that you're spending time with your family again. That's what's most important." She said softly, glancing over at Nathan. Clay cleared his throat, "Hey, so... I think I left my phone in the car. Will you come out and get it with me, Nate?" He suggested, standing up. Nathan nodded his head, hurrying to his feet and heading outside with Clay.

Clay looked at Nathan once they were outside, sighing softly. "Sorry buddy, I tried." He said, shrugging. "Thanks Clay. This just screws up a lot of my plans." Nathan grumbled, kicking at the ground. "I know, Nate. But you can always figure something else out." Clay replied, shrugging. "It's tomorrow, Clay. And it took me weeks to come up with this idea, and it's not even that good." Nathan sighed, leaning against the car. "Just change it a little bit, man. It will be fine." Clay smiled at him. "You're stressing too much." He laughed, patting Nathan on the shoulder. "It's going to be great. I'll see if there's anything else I can do." He added, nodding inside. Nathan looked inside, his eyes meeting Haley's for a second, who smiled and waved at him. Nathan nodded at her, smiling slightly. "I think that Brandon is going to kill me if he gets me alone." He said, glancing over at Clay. "Shouldn't joke about that, Nate. Not with your family's history." Clay said, chuckling quietly. "Not funny, Clay. But he was shooting me some pretty mean glares after Elizabeth was there." Nathan said, looking at his friend. "Yeah, what do you think about her?" Clay asked him softly. "I think that my wife doesn't like her, so I shouldn't like her. I mean, I don't really mind her or even notice her flirting with me, but... Haley is more important than my assistant that I barely know." Nathan shrugged. "I know I've been denying it, but she's definitely trying to become the next Mrs. Scott." Clay said. "You think?" Nathan asked him, raising his eyebrows. Clay nodded, "Yeah, especially after today. She came and sat right next to you and even scooted her chair a little closer to you, and totally joined our conversation." He said, shrugging. "Yeah, there was a point where she was laughing and she rested her hand on my thigh and left it there for like three seconds." Nathan said, sighing. "I guess if I think about it, she is kind of obvious." He looked over at Clay. "I've got your back, always. Just remember that. Now let's go back inside." Clay said, heading inside with Nathan following behind him.

Nathan sat back down next to his wife, looking at her. "Hey Hales, have you heard from my mom lately?" He asked her quietly. Haley looked over at him, shaking her head. "I talked to her a few days ago when I asked her if she could pick up Jamie from basketball practice." She shrugged her shoulders slightly, frowning at him. "I've talked to Megan, though. William is still trying to figure out the whole situation of me screaming at Nicole." Haley said, sighing. "It's been a little over a week, it shouldn't take that long to figure out that she's a bitch and you were totally right." Nathan shrugged, before turning his attention back to the the table. Haley looked at him, resting her hand on his leg. "Are you okay, Nathan?" She whispered to him. Nathan looked at her once again, nodding his head. "I'm fine, Haley." He said, leaning over and kissing her cheek. She looked at him for a second, squeezing his leg, nodding her head. Their food was set down a few minutes later, and Brandon cleared his throat. "So, you guys... Uh... I think it would be best if Marisa and I were in two different rooms." He said softly. Haley nodded her head slowly, "Yeah, okay. Whatever you guys want." She said, smiling at him. "Do you guys know how long you'll all be staying?" She asked him. "They're just staying the weekend, and hopefully I'll be going home with them." Brandon said, nodding at her. Quinn looked over at Brandon, "Hey, I'm not trying to start a fight with Haley or anything, but if you know that getting divorced is the right thing to do, Brandon... Then do it." She said, reaching over and resting her hand on his arm. "That's the advice I can give you. I've been there. And it may sound kind of cruel, but getting divorced was one of the best decisions I've ever made. And I'm pretty sure that David agrees." She said quietly. Brandon nodded at her, "Thank you, Quinn. I'm hoping we can work through it. But thank you." He smiled. Haley stood up, walking over and standing in between her siblings, pulling them both into a hug. "Hey, I'm Team James no matter what. I love Marisa, but if it comes down to a divorce, I'm on your side, Brandon." She smiled at him. "Thanks, Hales. But I don't think this will be me against her. I think if we get divorced it will be a mutual agreement. Because if she still feels like there's something to fight for, then I'll fight for it with her. But if she feels like it's over, then I'm not going to try and change her mind." He shrugged. Haley sat back down next to Nathan, grabbing his hand, squeezing it softly. "I just wish we would of realized that we were sinking, before we actually starting drowning." Brandon said softly, letting out a small sigh. "You can still save something that's drowning, Brandon. Just remember that." Nathan spoke up, letting go of Haley's hand, wrapping his arm around her shoulders instead, pulling her into a side hug. Brandon nodded his head, "Yeah. Thanks Nate." He said softly, looking down at his food. "Something that Mom said to me when I was thinking about divorcing David was: "I don't like the idea of you getting divorced, but I hate the idea of you being unhappy." And I think she would of said that to you too, Brandon." Quinn added, smiling slightly. "And you know what, David used to be the person that could make me happier than anyone else. But people change. Their priorities change. And you know what? Now David is married and has a daughter. I have Clay, Logan, and I'm pregnant. He's happy, and I'm so incredibly happy. I'm happy for the way my life ended up, and I'm happy for him as well. So divorce may seem like this terrible, awful thing, and it is during the process. But it's like coming up for a breath of fresh air after you've been struggling. So do what you have to do to be happy, Brandon." Quinn said, nodding at him. Brandon smiled at her, "You boys got so lucky with my sisters, you know that? They're both smart as hell." He laughed, pointing at Nathan and Clay. "I think we talk about how lucky we are, and how smart they are about once a week, right Nathan?" Clay chuckled. Nathan nodded his head, looking down at Haley and smiling slightly. He kissed the side of her head, squeezing her shoulder softly. "Good. They deserve to be appreciated." Brandon said, smiling. "So, what's the story behind Taylor and Chris Keller?" He asked after a second, raising his eyebrows. "It's a long one. Let's just say... They met in Chicago and clicked." Haley laughed, shrugging. "You know, Chris can be annoying as hell, and he says some stupid ass things sometimes. But Taylor could do a lot worse than him. He's not that bad of a guy when you get past his annoying exterior." Nathan chuckled. "Oh really? I never thought I'd hear Nathan Scott talk so highly of Chris Keller." Brandon laughed, looking at Haley. "He helped save my husband's life. It's kind of weird that they're dating, but I genuinely hope that they're happy together." Haley shrugged, smiling. "So Taylor has dated David and Chris Keller. Which one of Vivian's exes is she going to go after?" He teased. "Chris is not my ex." Haley said, shaking her head. "I never dated him, ever." She looked at Nathan, kissing his cheek. "I'm just messing with you, Hales. I know he's not." Brandon chuckled, shaking his head.

The Scott family walked inside after Nathan and Haley had picked up the kids from school. "Okay, guys. So, Brandon's family is going to be here soon. Why don't you go make sure that your rooms are clean, and that you have your stuff packed to go to Brooke's." Haley said, nodding towards the stairs. Jamie nodded his head, sighing softly. "Yeah, yeah. But can I hang out with Chuck and Madison and Jordan tonight?" He asked, looking over at her. "Yeah, if you hurry and clean your room. Thank you for being so nice to Jordan, Jamie. She hasn't said anything about dinner last week, has she?" Haley asked him. Jamie shook his head, "Not really. She said that Nicole is extra mad, but that's it. She probably didn't like you calling her a bi-" "That's enough, James. Go clean." She cut him off, nodding to the stairs. Lydia ran up after Jamie, leaving Nathan and Haley alone downstairs. Haley turned to look at her husband, flattening out his shirt and resting her hands on his sides. "Nathan." She hummed. Nathan snapped out of his zoned out state, looking down at her. "Sorry, baby." He said softly. Haley squeezed his sides softly, "About tomorrow..." She began. "Oh, you mean that it's our anniversary and the goal was to kick your brother out of the house, but instead we invited more people in?" He asked her, scowling slightly. "Nathan, we can celebrate a different day, alright?" She said softly. Nathan shook his head, "No, Haley. Did you think we were really going to sleep all day?" He asked her. "No, of course not, Nathan... It's just..." She sighed, kissing his cheek. "I know, I know. He invited her over here, and she actually came. But I had plans, Haley." He grumbled. Haley took a step closer to him, closing her eyes. "Nathan, it's just not a good time to celebrate an anniversary when two people that are about to get divorced are in our home." She said softly. Nathan tugged her closer so her body came in contact with his own. "I don't care, Haley. Fifteen years isn't something to put off until a different day." He looked down at her. Haley bit her lip, gripping his shirt slightly. "Maybe just until they go home." She said softly, standing on her toes a bit, inching her face closer to his. "What if he doesn't go home with them?" Nathan whispered, leaning closer to her. "He's going to, I know it. And if he doesn't, we'll kick him out." She replied, smiling at the family feeling of Nathan's heart rate speeding up a little bit. "We aren't putting this off." He whispered back to her, before leaning down and kissing her deeply. Haley's hands moved from his sides, wrapping around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Nathan backed her up into the counter, lifting her up onto it after a second. Haley's fingers tangled in his hair on the back of his head, pulling his face closer to hers. She could feel Nathan's warm hands work their way into the bottom of her shirt, pressing against her sides. The sound of the front door opening caused her and Nathan to jump away from each other, both of them breathing heavily. Haley got off of the counter quickly, smoothing out her shirt. "That was unexpected." She said softly, glancing at him. Nathan smirked slightly, shrugging. "Usually we have a little bit more self control then that, Nathan." Haley said, smoothing out the back of his hair. "You have self control, Haley. I have none." He whispered, backing her up into the counter again. Haley looked up at him, her breath hitching in her throat. Nathan rested his hands on either side of her. "You do realize that my brother is going to come in here any second." She whispered. He leaned forward, kissing her neck softly. "Let him." He said softly. Haley closed her eyes, resting her hands on Nathan's chest, pushing him back when she heard footsteps coming into towards the kitchen. "Nathan." She said, holding him back when he tried to move to her again. "Haley, this isn't fair." He protested. Haley shook her head, "You're 31, Nathan. Control yourself." She mumbled.

Marisa and Brandon walked into the kitchen, the air immediately getting more tense. "Hey Marisa!" Haley smiled, walking over to her and hugging her. "Hey Haley. It's good to see you." Marisa said softly, waving at Nathan. Nathan nodded in her direction, leaning against the counter. "Don't mind him." She said, gesturing to Nathan. "If you find an empty room, feel free to take it. Where are your kids?" Haley asked them. "They went upstairs to find rooms already. Sorry." Brandon said. "So, uh... I'm in the first room to the left upstairs." He said, glancing over at Haley. Marisa nodded her head, letting out a small sigh. "So, since it's their anniversary tomorrow, I'm looking into a hotel instead." Brandon began, shifting uncomfortably. "It's your anniversary tomorrow?" Marisa asked, looking over at Haley. "Brandon, why didn't you tell me that? I would not of invaded their home of I knew that." She said, frowning. "No, Marisa. It's fine, really. We didn't really have much planned anyways." Haley said quickly, glancing over at Nathan. "By the look on Nathan's face, he had other ideas. Haley... I'm so sorry." Marisa frowned. "No, Marisa. It really isn't that big of a deal." Haley said, smiling at her. "We'll try to get out of your hair. I'm sorry, Nathan." Marisa looked at Brandon, shaking her head and sighing. She walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"It's a little cold in here." Nathan said, raising his eyebrows. "Scott, get out of here." Brandon said, scowling at him. Nathan let out a deep breath, shaking his head and walking out of the kitchen. "He's a bit moody, I'm sorry." Haley frowned, shaking her head at Nathan. "Haley, I don't think this was a good idea." Brandon said softly, looking at his younger sister. "In fact, I think this was a bad idea. Bringing everyone here. I should of remembered it was your anniversary. You always remember mine." He said, sighing. "Brandon, it really isn't anything to worry about. Focus on you, alright? Nathan will be fine." She replied, smiling up at him. "Haley, I really didn't mean to intrude. I know I've been here for a week... But it's hard." He said quietly. Haley nodded her head, "It's alright, Brandon. Just remember that I'm always here for you... But tonight could you maybe not wake me up in the middle of the night?" She chuckled. Brandon nodded his head, hugging Haley quickly. "Yeah. Quick question... You want me to talk to your husband about the whole assistant thing?" He asked her. She smiled up at him, "Not yet. We'll see what happens though." She chuckled, shaking her head at him.

The rest of the day wasn't so bad, things with Marisa and Brandon were a little intense, but it was only an occasional comment. Most of the time they tried to avoid talking about touchy subjects. Nathan let out a deep sigh from where he was sitting on the bed, bouncing a basketball on the ground. "Nathan, if you want to do that, do it outside. Not on my nice hardwood floors." Haley said to him as she walked into the room, shaking her head. "I'm just trying to be loud so maybe everyone will want to go home." He grumbled, shaking his head and tossing the ball to her. She caught it very ungracefully, laughing quietly. "Baby, I promise that it's going to be fine." She said softly. "Haley, you keep saying that, but it's not fine with me. I did have plans for tomorrow, you know. It's not just another day." Nathan looked up at her, shaking his head. Haley smiled at him, "We just have to readjust a little bit, Nathan." She said softly. "Yeah, well we always have to readjust, and compromise, and postpone." He muttered, shaking his head. She walked over to him, setting the basketball down next to him. "Please, baby. This is hard for me too, but he's my brother and he's suffering." She said softly, resting her hands on his cheeks. "If Lucas was suffering I would tell him to kiss my ass and get the hell out. He can come back tomorrow, or the next day, or any day after that." He grumbled. "But I would tell him to come back and we can work through it. I know that you wouldn't do that anyways." She laughed, kissing his head. "We will do something eventually, Nathan. I promise. Just maybe not tomorrow." Haley said softly, resting her chin on top of his head, hugging him to her. Nathan let out a deep sigh, nodding his head. "Fine." He whispered, closing his eyes. She ran her fingers through his hair for a second, before pulling away from him. "Thank you for being such a good man, Nathan." She said softly, kissing him briefly. "I owe it all to you, Haley James." He mumbled, smiling at her. Haley shook her head, smiling at him and walking into the bathroom to get ready for bed. Nathan let out a small sigh, getting under the covers of their bed, closing his eyes and sighing softly. A few minutes later, Haley climbed into bed next to him, look at her sleeping husband. She laughed quietly, tracing her finger along his sharp jawline, leaning forward and kissing his cheek. "I love you, Nathan Scott." She whispered to him, before settling into the bed next to him and falling asleep.


	26. Chapter 26

**I don't own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 26**

Haley woke up to an empty bed, which was the last thing she had expected this morning. She frowned slightly, looking around the room. There was no trace of her husband. She walked down the stairs slowly, finding her nephew, Jack, sitting at the bar. "Hey Jack. Have you seen Nathan?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows. "Yeah, he went out to play basketball. He told me to tell you to take the kids to Brooke's house." Jack said, shrugging his shoulders. Haley let out a small sigh, walking up the stairs and waking up her children. She made sure that they had everything they needed with them, heading down into the kitchen and pouring them some cereal. "Come on kids, we need to hurry." Haley said, clapping her hands. "Happy Anniversary, Mom. Where's dad?" Jamie asked as he walked down the stairs. "He's off at the Rivercourt, I think. Finish eating breakfast, I'm going to go get ready myself." She smiled at her son, kissing his head and hurrying up the stairs. About an hour later, Haley had everyone loaded in the car, and drove off. Nathan walked into the kitchen, where everyone was. "Okay, that took longer than I expected. I need help, and then I need you all to get out. Brooke is going to distract her for little bit, but I doubt it will be very long." He said, clapping his hands.

Haley finally got back to the house about forty minutes later, shaking her head. She loved Brooke to death, but today was not the day to ask her opinions on her new designs she'd been working on. She pulled into the garage, letting out a deep breath and walking inside, raising her eyebrows slightly. There were rose petals and candles all over the place, and as she glanced into other rooms she could see them in there as well. "Nathan?" She called out. Nathan stepped into the kitchen, smiling at her. "Happy anniversary, Hales." He said softly, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her, kissing her quickly. Haley kissed him for a second, before pulling back and looking around. "Where is everyone?" She asked him. "They'll be back tomorrow, because today is our day, Haley James." Nathan said softly, resting his forehead on hers. Haley nodded her head slowly, closing her eyes. "I love you, Nathan. I didn't mean to make it seem like this wasn't important... I just want Brandon and Marisa to be alright." She said softly. "I know, baby. I know. But they're at a hotel, and I may have requested that they bring up chocolate strawberries and a bottle of wine in the evening." He chuckled, smirking down at her. "You're a good man. That's definitely a start." Haley smiled, kissing him quickly. Nathan pulled back after a second, handing her a folded note. Haley took it from him, raising her eyebrows and opening it. 'After a stressful day, I end up with a basketball in my hands, you usually end up here at an instrument that can be played in a band.' the not read. She looked up at him, smiling slightly. "I'm not good at riddles and stuff, so they're probably going to be kind of obvious. I've spent weeks trying to come up with good ones." Nathan chuckled, looking down and shrugging slightly. She smiled at him, kissing him quickly. "I love you, Nathan." She said softly, nodding at him. Nathan smiled down at her, "I love you too, gorgeous. Now come on. Chop, chop." He chuckled. Haley grabbed his hand, pulling him towards her music room.

Haley looked around for a minute, before looking inside the piano, finding nothing. "How can you be sure it's even in here, Hales?" Nathan asked her, smiling. She looked at him, chuckling softly. "Because I know." She hummed, walking over to him, resting her hands on his chest. He looked down at her, smiling slightly. "Wow." He whispered. Haley raised one eyebrow, "Wow what?" She asked him. "You're just so beautiful." Nathan replied, pulling her closer to him. She smiled at him, kissing him briefly. "You have to play me a song if you want me to tell you where the next card is. Something new, preferably." He informed her, kissing her again. Haley laughed, "If you insist." She hummed, sitting down at the piano, beginning to play. Nathan took a quick picture of her, leaning against the piano and smiling bright. Once the song was over, he sat next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "That was beautiful, baby." He whispered, kissing the side of her head. Haley rested her head on Nathan's shoulder, smiling. "I love you." She said softly. He nodded at her, "I love you too, Haley James Scott." He hummed, before standing up. Nathan walked over and picked up her guitar, "So, it's taped to the inside of this. I hope that didn't ruin it." He chuckled, handing it to her. "It was kind of a struggle for me to get it in there, so I'm going to let you get it out." He said. Haley stuck her fingers inside, grabbing the small velvet box, as well as another note. She smiled at Nathan, opening the box slowly. Inside were three pairs of earrings, one had Jamie's birthstone, one had Lydia's, and the third pair was empty. He took the guitar from her setting it back down, looking at her. "They're beautiful, Nathan." Haley said softly. "The third pair is for when we have another." Nathan informed her. "Do you like them?" He asked her softly. Haley walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him softly. "I love them. Thank you so much." She said, kissing his cheek. He smiled down at her, looking around the room. "Do you remember when we were in marriage counseling? It was the day that we finally made some progress and you told me 'not sleeping in this bed wouldn't be so bad, if you wanted to try it with me sometime.' You remember?" Nathan asked her, glancing down. Haley nodded her head, "Yeah, why?" She asked him softly. "Because later that night, we were down here, and I was throwing a basketball in the air, while you played piano. And I would just look over and watch you sometimes. You look so graceful on a piano, like you belong there." He said softly, holding her close to him. "I just thought to myself how lucky I am. And you know what? I was watching you just now, and I thought the same thing. I'm so lucky to have you, Hales." Nathan said to her. Haley kissed him quickly, pulling him closer to her. He kissed her back, lifting her off the ground a little bit. Haley pulled back after a second, smiling at him. He set her down slowly, resting his hands on her waist, gently brushing his thumbs over her sides. "That's how I feel when I watch you play basketball, just so you know. You look damn sexy with a basketball in your hands." She hummed, biting her lip. Nathan smirked at her, picking up the next note and handing it to her. 'For gift number two, think of your tattoo.' Haley looked up at him, raising her eyebrows. "That doesn't really rhyme, and I'm just now realizing it. I thought it was clever, I'm sorry." He chuckled, shaking his head. "This is super embarrassing for me, it took me a really long time to come up with this stuff." Nathan said, sighing. Haley shook her head, "I think it's sweet, Nathan. I love you. Now come on, I think I know what you mean." She said, grabbing his hand and pulling him up to Jamie's room.

Haley stopped in front of his bed, looking up at all of the jerseys. "Look at how much you've accomplished." She said softly, smiling at him. "There'd be a less if I wasn't such an ass." Nathan sighed, shaking his head. "Not the point. Are you sure this is the right place?" He asked her. Haley looked at him for a second, before looking up at the jerseys. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure." She smiled, shrugging. "So, it must just be all of the jerseys that have 23 on them, right?" She asked, looking over at him. "Guess again, Haley. I tattooed 12 above 23 last night." Nathan chuckled. Haley shook her head, rolling her eyes. She began to feel the jerseys, stopping on the black ravens jersey for Keith, letting out a deep breath. She brushed her fingers over it, sighing softly. "We forgot to call Lucas. On the day he died. We forgot to call him." She whispered, looking over at her husband. "I know." Nathan said softly, looking down. "We've been busy, I just feel bad." Haley sighed. She reached into the jersey, pulling out a flat and wide velvet box, with a note attached to it. Haley looked over at her husband, "Just out of curiosity, how many of these are there?" She asked. "Fifteen." Nathan replied, smiling at her. Haley opened the box slowly, looking down and smiling. "It's beautiful, Nathan." She said softly, brushing her fingers over the diamond necklace, looking over at her husband. "You're beautiful." He said, walking over to her and kissing her deeply. "You're the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me, Haley. Without you, this wouldn't exist." He said softly, gesturing around. "My life wouldn't be the same. I know that you say that I changed on my own, but it was all you. You changed me." He whispered, kissing her again. Haley gripped his shirt, kissing him back and holding onto him tightly. "You saved me." Nathan whispered. "Shh..." She said, kissing him quickly to silence him. After a second, Nathan pulled back and looked up at the jerseys. "I probably would of gotten into some type of fight anyways, and ruined my basketball career. The difference would of been, I never would of found the motivation to fix myself up. If it wasn't for you and Jamie, I would still be in that damn wheelchair." He said quietly. Haley looked up at him, kissing his jaw softly. "You're my hero." Nathan said to her, looking down at her. "I mean it, Hales." He said softly. "You've been through so much, but you're so strong. I wish that I could be more like you." He smiled down at her. She rubbed her hands down his chest, "You're strong too, Nathan. You lean on me, I lean on you. We're strong together." Haley said softly, kissing him again, glancing down at the note in her hands. She unfolded it, and started reading. 'Roses are red, violets are blue. We bought this house with the money from my...' "These are terrible." Nathan sighed, shaking his head. "I knew they were bad, but now that I'm watching you read them... I should of done something else." He groaned, shaking his head. Haley smiled at him, brushing her thumb over his beard. "No, baby. This is perfect." She said to him. "I love this. I love you." She hummed, grabbing onto his shirt and pulling him out of the room.

"I don't know how you did this so quickly. There is literally rose petals and candles everywhere, Nathan." Haley laughed as she tugged him into the closet. "I had help. I made Brooke distract you for as long as possible." Nathan chuckled, watching Haley. It took her about ten minutes to get all of the boxes of shoes down, even though there was only about six. Nathan had refused to help her, and just stood there, laughing and taking pictures of her. "You can't even reach up there, Nathan. I don't understand why you thought I could." She grumbled, shaking her head at him. "I knew you wouldn't be able to. But it was funny to see you try." He chuckled, handing her a box of shoes. Haley began to look through them as Nathan handed them to her, but obviously he had decided to hand the one that actually had it in them to her last. She looked in the last box of shoes, finding another small velvet box inside of it, as well as another note. "Okay, Hales... This one isn't really a gift." He said to her, looking at her. Haley opened the box slowly, looking down at the small gold band. "My old ring! Where did you find this?" She asked him quickly, looking up at him. "I found it when I was looking for that bracelet. It's been so hard not to tell you. You were crushed when you lost it." Nathan said, smiling brightly at her. "Nathan, I haven't seen this since we moved into this house." She said softly, looking down at it. She hurried over to him, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. Nathan chuckled quietly, holding her close to him. "I know. I've been dying to show it to you." He said softly. "I'm going to cry. I was absolutely crushed when I thought I lost this." She said softly, grabbing his cheeks and kissing all over his face. He laughed quietly, "Hales, don't cry." He chuckled, smiling down at her.

"I just... I thought I lost it." She looked at the ring again, smiling up at him. "You are amazing, Nathan Scott." She said, kissing him quickly. "Amazing." She whispered. Nathan smiled at her, kissing her head. "You've put up with me for fifteen years, Hales. I owe you as much as I can give you." He chuckled, winking at her. Haley smiled, kissing his chin. "It's been pretty hard." She teased him, opening up the next note. 'These are terrible, and I apologize. Gift number four is where I would go to eat some fries.' She laughed quietly, grinning at him. "I told you they were terrible. I should leaving the rhyming to you." Nathan said, shaking his head and rubbing her arms. "I love this, Nathan. I promise." She said softly, rubbing his cheek, tugging him to the dining room.

Haley looked around the room, before stopping and looking at her husband. "This is amazing, Nathan. It's very thoughtful of you. I promise that I love it, and I love you so much." She said quietly, kissing him softly. "I love you too, Haley. You deserve so much more than this, and one day I hope to give you everything you deserve." Nathan said softly, nodding at her. She smiled up at him, "You didn't have to do all of this, you know? I would of been happy with anything." Haley hummed, leaning against the table. "Somehow, I doubt that. Remember Valentine's Day a few years ago? You were ready to kill me." He laughed, resting his hands on either side of her. "I was pregnant, Nathan." She said softly. "You could be pregnant now, if you wanted." He said, looking down at her. "We talked about this. I don't want to steal Quinn's thunder, or Megan's. Or Peyton's, if they decide to have another one." Haley said, wrapping her arms around Nathan's middle, hugging him close to her. Nathan nodded his head, "I know." He said softly, kissing her quickly. She kissed him back, pulling him even closer to her, leaning up a bit. After a minute she pulled away, turning around and looking down at the table. "So I'm guessing it's under the table." She hummed, bending down and grabbing the note that was taped under the table. Haley jumped back up when she heard the sound of Nathan's camera, turning around and smacking his arm. "You're terrible." She laughed, shaking her head. Nathan laughed, winking at her. "Oh come on, Hales. You have a serious ass. I tell you that all the time, you can't just expect me to not take a picture." He chuckled. "If that's your story." Haley said, poking his stomach. "So this one wouldn't stick to the bottom of the table. But it's in my pocket. So you just have to get it." He said, smirking at her. Haley raised her eyebrows, tugging him over to her. "I'm not sure if this is a joke or not." She chuckled, shaking her head and slipping her hand into his pocket, pulling an object that was delicately wrapped in tissue paper. She unwrapped his slowly, holding it up and smiling. "It's kind of close to Christmas, and Davis and Jude broke our old one." He said softly. She looked at the ornament in her hands that read 'The Scotts' and underneath it, it said both of their wedding dates. "I think I like this one better, because Brooke gave us the last one and it said Naley on it." He chuckled. Haley smiled at him, "Thank you, Nathan. I've been meaning to get another one." She said, kissing his cheek. Nathan nodded at her, "I know." He hummed, picking up the next note off of the table, handing it to her. 'You're the youngest of your siblings, and that's pretty cool. This is the place where you got into a fight with your sisters, and fell into the...' Haley looked at him, laughing quietly. "Are you ever going to let that go, Nathan?" She asked him. Nathan shook his head, "Hell no." He said, kissing her head and pulling her outside.

Haley looked around outside, "So... It's not in the bottom of the pool, is it?" She asked him. Nathan thought for a second, before nodding his head. "Uh... Yep. That's where it is. Better dive down and get it." He chuckled. "Are you serious?" Haley asked, looking over at him. "Yep. I did it. You might as well." He hummed to her. Haley looked down at the water, before glancing over at him. "Nathan. It's cold out here." She sighed, frowning. "The pool is heated, Hales. You'll be fine." Nathan assured her. She walked over to him, shaking her head. "Come on, Hales. Just jump in." He chuckled. Haley sighed, looking over at the water. "Are you serious?" She asked him again. He laughed quietly, wrapping his arms around her and shaking his head. "No, I just wanted to see if you'd do it." He hummed, kissing her head. "You're the worst." Haley said, pressing her face into his shoulder. "It's too cold for swimming." She mumbled. "What about swimming with me? Would you do that?" He questioned her, smirking down at her. She looked up at him, brushing her fingers through his hair. "It's not even that cold, Hales. But I know that you're allergic to anything below sixty degrees. I would go swimming right now." Nathan said, shrugging his shoulders. "Oh you would?" Haley asked him, raising her eyebrows. "Yeah, I would." He replied. "Alright, give me your phone. We'll go swimming." She shrugged. "Wait, wait. Find the thing first." He chuckled. Haley looked around for a second, walking to one of the chairs they had out there, lifting up the cushion and pulling out the next note. "This one is in my other pocket, just because." Nathan said, smirking. Haley rolled her eyes, walking over and reaching in his pocket. "You could of stuck it with the note you know, it's something papery." She chuckled. "Yeah, but I was just a little bit more worried about this blowing away." Nathan chuckled. Haley looked at the paper, before looking up at Nathan. "Plane tickets to Paris?" She asked him softly. "Yeah, I mean... We've already been there but I got so sick on that trip that we never really left the hotel room, and not in a good way. I figured I owed it to you." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "What about the kids?" Haley asked him. "My mom can watch them. And yes, I did already ask her." He hummed to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "We would leave two weeks before Christmas and be gone for five days." Nathan informed her. Haley smiled at him, wrapping his arms around him tightly, kissing him softly. "You're one in a million, Nathan. You really are. I'm so lucky to have you." She said quietly, hugging him tightly. "I'm just trying to repay you for everything you've given me, Haley James." He grinned at her. "Now I'm going to prove to you that it's not cold." Nathan said, beginning to unbutton his shirt. Haley started to take a video on his phone, hurrying towards him and giving him a hard shove into the water. She started laughing, ending the video and setting his phone down. Nathan resurfaced, looking up at her. "Haley!" He laughed, "This is what happens when I dress up nicer than usual. You push me in the pool. Next year I'm wearing a swimsuit." He grumbled. Haley hurried inside, setting their plane tickets on the table, before walking back outside. "It's not even cold." He hummed, flicking some water at her. She shook his head, laughing quietly. "I can't believe that you did that to me." Nathan laughed, shaking his head and closing his eyes. "With my shoes on and everything. Damn." He chuckled. He blinked his eyes open when he felt something hit him in the face, smirking when he discovered that it was Haley's shirt. He tossed it out of the pool, looking up just in time to see Haley jump in, her clothes scattered along the outside. Nathan smirked at her, "This makes up for it."

"Do you see my point now?" Nathan asked as he handed her some clothes, helping her out of the pool. "Yeah, yeah. It was fine until you left me all alone out here because I 'wasn't aloud to go to our room yet.' Up until that point, it was fine." Haley grumbled, quickly getting dressed in the clothes he'd brought her. He shrugged his shoulders, "I don't feel bad, so it's alright." He smiled at her, kissing her cheek softly. "Damn I love you." He said softly, brushing his fingers through her hair, kissing her quickly. "I love you too, baby." She said, smiling at him, rubbing his back softly. Haley walked over, picking up the next clue. 'All of Lucas's books are pretty boring, go find the place where Unkindness of Ravens is storing.' "Okay, I don't really think that his books are boring, I just needed a word." Nathan laughed, kissing her head softly. Haley smiled at him, "Maybe I should have you write my next song for me." She said, grinning at him. "So you'll let me write them but you won't let me record them?" He asked her, following her inside. "Hey, I'll let you record them when you give me a contract with Fortitude. Have you seen my miniature golf skills?" Haley asked him, laughing. "I'll talk to Clay and see what I can do." Nathan replied, smiling at her. She chuckled quietly, walking to the bookshelf, pulling An Unkindness Of Ravens off. She skimmed through it until she found the next note, looking up at Nathan. "Okay..." Nathan let out a deep breath, looking at her. "This one isn't really an object but..." He shifted slightly. "I um... I'm learning French. Because I can't remember anything I attempted to learn in high school, and I know that you know it pretty well but you've never been able to put it to use, really... And we're going to Paris." He said, rubbing his neck and shrugging. Haley raised her eyebrows, looking up at him. "Are you serious?" She asked him softly. "Yeah, it's pretty rough though." Nathan said softly. "Wow." She said, hugging him tightly. "That's amazing, Nathan. When do you even have time to do this?" Haley asked him. "I work it in there. Thankfully, I can do my job from almost anywhere." He chuckled. "I can't believe you learned French." She said, kissing him deeply. "Say something." She poked him softly. "No." Nathan groaned, shaking his head. "Maybe later. It's embarrassing." He grumbled. "I tutored you in French, Nathan. And you struggled, but you weren't terrible at pronunciation and stuff. Come on." She said, poking his side again. "Later, Haley. I don't want to do it." He said, kissing her head. Haley let out an over-exaggerated sigh, "Fine." She said, fiddling with the collar of his shirt. "But I want to hear it later."

The rest of the day went on about the same, Nathan's clues for Haley just kept getting cheesier and cheesier. They were currently on their way back from dinner. He had given her 13 presents, despite him telling her their was 15. Nathan stopped the car in front of Karen's Cafe. "Okay, Haley James. Follow me." He said, hurrying around the car and pulling open her door for her. Haley raised her eyebrow, following him inside. She followed him up to the roof, her breath catching in her throat. "Lucas is coming back, and I thought you would like this." He said softly, looking around. "Do you... Do you like it?" He asked her, rocking bak and forth on his heels. "Nathan..." She said softly, looking around. He had set up a miniature golf course on the roof, similar to the one her and Lucas had up there in high school. "Hales?" Nathan asked her, looking at her. Haley hugged him tightly, "How did I get so lucky? I have the perfect husband, the perfect family." She said softly, kissing Nathan deeply. "So you like it?" He asked after a second. "I love it, Nathan. Lucas is going to love it. I love you so much. You've made me feel so special today, and I can never thank you enough." She said softly, kissing him again. Nathan handed her another note, "This one isn't a clue." He said softly. Haley looked down at it, beginning to read. 'You came into my life when I was 16 years old, and completely changed me. I was a jerk to everyone, and only cared about myself and basketball. You've given me such an amazing life. I'll never be able to thank you enough, Haley. Thanks to you, I have a brother. I have an amazing family, and an amazing life. You give me a reason to be a good guy. You're the reason I am who I am. I'm so in love with you, Haley Scott. Every time I see Jamie or Lydia do something that reminds me of you, it makes me so happy. Because those kids are half you. Thankfully, they are half you. Thankfully you've put up with me for 15 years, despite the fact that I don't deserve you at all. You're such an amazing, and caring person. Thank you for never giving up on me. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for being my dream come true. I love you. Always & Forever. -Nathan' She hasn't even realized that she was crying, until her tears fell onto the paper. "Nathan Scott, why do you keep making me cry?" Haley asked him, throwing her arms tightly around his neck. Nathan held her closely, closing his eyes. "I love you so much, Haley." He whispered quietly. Haley nodded at him, kissing him deeply. Nathan responded immediately, holding onto her tightly. "Thank you." He whispered against her lips, kissing her again. "No, Nathan. Thank you." She said softly. "Now, it's my turn. You've totally and completely out done me this year, and I'm sorry. I call dibs on going all out for number 20." Haley said, poking his chest. "Whatever, Hales." He chuckled, kissing her cheek. "Okay, to start, I got you what I get you every year; tickets to go see the Charlotte Hornets." She hummed, smiling at him. Nathan nodded his head, kissing her softly. "Thank you, baby." He smiled at her, hugging her close to him. "Okay, and then I got you something that is also for Jamie and Lydia." Haley said, looking around the miniature golf course once again, before kissing him softly. "But none of these are as impressive as yours." She said, looping her arm through his. "Come on, it's at home." She said to him, pulling him back inside.

Nathan pulled into the garage, looking over at Haley as she got out quickly. "Hey! I was going to come get your door." He frowned at her, getting out of the car. "It's fine." She said softly, tugging on his tie, taking it off of him quickly. "Well, someone is impatient." He smirked. "That's not why, Nathan." Haley laughed, tying his tie around his head to cover his eyes. "Can you see?" She asked, waving her hand in front of his face. "No, I can't. What are you up to?" Nathan frowned, letting Haley guide him inside. "I'll be right back, Nathan. Please don't take it off." She said, hurrying away. She returned a few minutes later, holding a small golden retriever puppy in her arms. "Okay, so you've been whining for one of this for awhile, and I've always said no." Haley began, looking at him. "A baby?" Nathan chuckled, smirking slightly. "Not exactly." She replied, looking at him. "You'll like it, I'm pretty sure. Take it off." She said, looking down at the puppy. He pulled his tie off slowly, looking at her. "You got me a dog?" He asked her with wide eyes. "But you said you didn't want one." Nathan said, looking from her, to the puppy, then back to her. "That's because I knew that I would be the one taking care of it. But Jamie is old enough to clean up after it now." Haley said, looking at him. "What do you think?" She asked. Nathan hurried over to her, taking the puppy from her arms. "I love him. Haley... Wow." He said, smiling at the little golden retriever. "What should we name him?" Nathan asked her, grinning as the puppy started to lick his face. "Anything you want, honey." Haley smiled at her husband, who was totally immersed in the puppy. "I can't believe you did this for me, Hales. Thank you. I don't think I topped this." Nathan chuckled, holding the puppy up in the air. "Look, Haley. It's Simba." He grinned at her. Haley smiled at him, taking a picture of him. "You're cute, Nathan." She laughed, kissing his cheek. "Thank you, baby. This is amazing. Jamie and Lydia are going to love him. Maybe we should wait until they get here to name him." He said, smiling at her. "Oh no! We should name him Lucas!" Nathan said, laughing loudly. "Oh, I'm sure Lucas would love that." Haley said sarcastically. "Take a picture of me and text it to him and say meet Lucas. He'll hate it so much." He laughed, kissing Haley quickly. "Oh! And Take one and send it to Clay and say meet Clay. But Clay would probably like that." He laughed, looking down at the puppy. "This is awesome, Hales. Wow." He whispered, looking at her. "How did you get him in the house?" Nathan asked. "Quinn brought him while we were at dinner." Haley said, doing as he'd asked her to. "All Lucas said was 'No.' Clay hasn't responded yet." She chuckled, kissing Nathan's cheek again. "You rock my world, Haley James." He said, smiling at her. "Oh wow, I didn't even have to take off any clothes." Haley laughed, brushing her fingers through Nathan's hair. "Yeah, the night is still young." He replied, looking down at the puppy in his arms. "You're mesmerized." She said, smiling at him. "I love this dog." He said, setting him down on the ground, sitting down across from him. The puppy walked back over and sat down in Nathan's lap. Nathan looked up at Haley, "Hales! Did you see that? I think he likes me." He said, grinning up at her. Haley smiled, leaning against the counter. "You're so cute, Nathan." She laughed. He looked back down at the puppy, "I think he's going to fall asleep soon. He's so small. When he's older I can take him on runs with me and stuff." He said, smiling. "So will this hold you off on the baby talk?" Haley asked him. "Nope. But maybe for a couple weeks." Nathan said, smiling down at the puppy. "The kids are going to freak. Lydia is going to love this so much." He said, petting the dog softly. "Davis and Jude are going to love him too." He hummed, looking up at Haley. "He's asleep already. You in puppy form. He loves me, and loves to sleep." Nathan teased her. "Okay, I figured we would keep him in the kennel for a couple nights, until he gets used to the house. The kennel is in Jamie's room." Haley hummed, guiding him up the stairs to it. Nathan set the dog in there carefully, turning to look at his wife. "You're the best wife in the world." He said, grinning at her. "Yeah, well I still have one present for you to unwrap." Haley said, smirking at him, pulling her sleeve off of her shoulder. Nathan smirked at her, hurrying to her and throwing her over his shoulder, rushing into their bedroom.

"Say it again." Haley begged him, brushing her fingers over his bare chest, smiling at him. "Haley, I don't want to." Nathan laughed, looking down at her. "Say it, Nathan." She said, kissing his neck softly. "Je t'aime." He mumbled, tilting his head slightly. "Damn that's sexy." Haley said softly, kissing up to his lips, and kissing him deeply. Nathan kissed her back, holding her close to him. "Say it just one more time." She said, brushing her thumb over the scar on his torso. "Je t'aime." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Mm... I love that. You're sexy." Haley laughed, hugging him tightly. "Yeah, yeah." He replied, smiling down at her. She gently brushed her fingers along his chest, looking at him. "Remember when you had a nipple ring?" She laughed, smirking at him. "I wish you would forget that." Nathan laughed, kissing her softly. "Don't worry, I don't tell too many people about it." She assured him, kissing his chest softly. "Mm, well I think it was a poor decision on my part." He grumbled. "Never tell Jamie." He said, closing his eyes. Haley shook her head, "I won't. Can you just say it one more time?" She asked him softly. Nathan sighed, looking at her. "I knew this was a bad idea. Je t'aime." He said, kissing her. "That makes my heart race." Haley said softly, kissing his chin. "So, when are you going to ask me?" Nathan said, looking down at her. "Ask you what?" Haley frowned, raising her eyebrows. "What your last present was." He said. "Alright... What is it?" She asked him. "Me rocking your world." Nathan smirked, shaking his head. "Damn, I expected more from you." Haley teased him. "Ouch, Hales. Ego bruiser." He said, laughing quietly. "I'm just kidding, baby." She said, brushing her fingers through his hair. "That's not really what it was anyways." Nathan said softly. He let out a deep breath, looking at her for a second. He stood up quickly, grabbing something out of the dresser, hurrying back into bed. "Okay. This one is big." He said softly, looking at her and letting out a deep breath. "It's not from me, either." Nathan began, holding a small journal out to her. Haley took it slowly, raising her eyebrows. "What is this?" She questioned him. "Your mom told me to give it to you when I thought it was the right time, and I do." He said softly. Haley looked at him with a confused expression, "What?" She asked him quietly. "It's a journal that she kept... About your life. I haven't read it, but she told me a little bit about it." Nathan said quietly, looking at her. Haley opened it slowly, covering her mouth as she looked at her mother's familiar handwriting. "Nathan." She whispered, looking at him with wide eyes. "I never felt like it was the right time to give it to you, until now. Are you mad?" He asked her quietly. Haley wrapped her arm around his neck, pulling him close to her. She kissed him deeply, holding into him tightly. "I'm so lucky I found you, Nathan Scott. Thank you for giving this to me." She whispered. Nathan brushed the tears off of her face, "I love you so much, Haley." He replied, kissing her again. "I didn't mean to make it seem like I didn't care yesterday, Nathan. Because I do care, a lot. I just want my brother to be happy." Haley said softly. "I love you, Nathan." She whispered, kissing him quickly. "I love you too, baby. Happy Anniversary."


	27. Chapter 27

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 27**

Haley woke up to an empty bed once again, looking around and sighing. She got out of bed slowly, pulling on Nathan's shirt from the night before, heading down the stairs. She found Nathan in the kitchen, laying on his stomach on the floor, watching the dog as he ate. Haley chuckled quietly, walking over and poking him with her foot. "Hey you." She said softly. Nathan glanced up at her, "Your feet are freezing." He chuckled. Haley stepped on his back for a second, smiling at him. "You're up early." She said, looking at him. "Yeah, I just wanted to make sure the dog wasn't hungry." He hummed. Haley smiled at him, "What about you? Are you hungry?" She asked him softly, reaching down and ruffling his hair like he was a dog. He laughed quietly, "I could eat." He hummed, laughing as the dog came over and licked his face. "I don't know how you let him do that." Haley said, shaking her head. "I let you do it too." Nathan smirked, glancing over at her. "I do not do that to you, Nathan." She laughed, pressing her foot down onto his back again. "Hey, stop it!" He chuckled. "Sorry baby, your back is warm. And sexy." She hummed, winking at him. Nathan chuckled, glancing at her. "So, what do you want for breakfast?" Haley asked him, smiling down at him. He stood up slowly, wrapping his arms around her waist. "To start..." He trailed off, leaning down and kissing her. Haley wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. "Nice choice." She chuckled. "What time is Brandon going to be back?" She asked him softly. "Why ruin the moment by talking about your brother?" He asked her, trailing kisses down her neck, sucking on her skin softly. Haley let out a deep breath, tilting her head to the side. "My bad." She laughed, running her fingers through his hair. "You look good in my clothes." Nathan hummed softly, beginning to undo the buttons. Haley closed her eyes, pulling Nathan closer to her. She blinked her eyes open after a second, "Did you hear that?" She asked him softly. He shook his head, "It was the dog." He mumbled, kissing along her shoulder softly.

A second later, Quinn and Clay walked into the kitchen, stopping in their tracks. "Well, hello." Quinn laughed. Haley's eyes snapped open, tugging Nathan's shirt tighter around her. "Nathan! I told you I heard the door open." She grumbled, pressing her face into Nathan's shoulder. Nathan glanced over his shoulder at them, chuckling quietly. "Are those scratch marks on your back, Nate? Damn." Clay laughed, looking over at Quinn. "What are you guys doing here?" Nathan asked him, turning around slowly, keeping Haley behind him. "On your chest too! Wow." Quinn added, laughing. "You told me that if I came to help clean up, you would make us breakfast and you would take Logan for the night with zero notice." Clay chuckled. "Look! Your poor puppy is just sitting there. He would of had to hear the old married sex." Quinn teased them. "Okay, well... Get out for a second." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head. Quinn walked over and picked up the puppy, "Come on, Clay." She said, winking at Nathan. Clay gave Nathan a thumbs up, before following Quinn out of the room.

Nathan turned around and looked at Haley, laughing quietly. "That was bad." He said softly, shaking his head. "I didn't think he would come clean up this early. I'm sorry." He mumbled. Haley pushed him slightly, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "I hate you." She said, sighing softly. "Uh... Je t'aime?" Nathan said, grinning at her. She sighed, looking up at him. "I love you too, Nathan. Now come on." She said, grabbing his hand and pulling him up the stairs quickly. "You should of told me that you invited Clay over." Haley grumbled, kissing his cheek softly. "I didn't want to clean this up all alone." He replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I would of helped you." She pointed out. "Yeah, but I wouldn't of gotten anything done if it was you helping me." Nathan chuckled. "So do you want to shower with me?" He asked her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "To save water, of course. No other reason." He hummed, kissing her softly. Haley raised her eyebrows, "After that scene that just happened? You're dreaming." She chuckled. "Come on, Hales. Let's just do it. Who cares. It's Quinn and Clay. Now if it was your brother, it would be a different story." Nathan said, smiling at her. Haley let out a deep breath, looking at him for a second. "Fine, but no funny business, Nathan." She said, grabbing some clothes and walking into the bathroom. He smirked slightly, following her in.

Nathan walked into the kitchen, smirking and Clay and Quinn. "Hey guys." He said, chuckling. "15 years and he's still got it. What a charmer." Clay said, laughing quietly. "I'm pretty sure I didn't tell you to come so early in the morning, Clay." Nathan shrugged, shaking his head. "I thought maybe I'd get lucky and get two nights. But instead I saw more of Haley than I've ever seen." Clay said, looking at Quinn as she smacked his arm. "Okay, okay. I'm done." He said, shaking his head. "Yeah, well get to cleaning. I'm not sure when we're getting the kids, or when Brandon is coming back." Nathan said, looking at Clay. "Quinn, watch my puppy and keep my wife company." He said, patting the dog on the head. "Okay, let's hurry. This seemed like such a good idea yesterday." He chuckled, beginning to clean up the rose petals in the kitchen. "Yeah, I don't know what you were thinking." Clay said, kissing Quinn's cheek, before beginning to help him. Quinn laughed quietly, shaking her head and walking upstairs.

"Haley?" Quinn asked, knocking on the bedroom door. Haley pulled it open, "Hey." She said, smiling at her. "Fun night?" Quinn questioned, grinning at her. "Like you wouldn't even believe." Haley replied, shaking her head. "I'm glad. I'm sure you wouldn't of even had half as good of a time if Brandon was still here." Quinn hummed, sitting down on the bed, holding the puppy in her lap. "So fifteen years? Wow." She said, looking over at Haley. Haley smiled, nodding her head. "It's so crazy." She hummed, sitting down next to Quinn. "I can't believe you got married when you were 16. That was definitely not a phone call that I expected. Let me tell you. I was so shocked. I thought it was a joke." Quinn laughed, petting the dog in her lap. "So what did he get you?" She asked, looking at her. "So many things." Haley said, letting out a deep breath. "Oh yeah?" Quinn smiled, waving her hand. "Well show me." She said, looking down at the puppy. Haley stood up, grabbing her earrings off of the dresser, holding them out to her. Quinn opened them, grinning. "Three pairs, hm? Have something you need to tell me?" She asked, winking at her. "No, no. Nathan just has this idea that I'm going to get pregnant soon. But I'm not pregnant, no." Haley shook her head. "Damn. Get pregnant so my kid can have a cousin to play with." Quinn laughed. "I don't think Nathan realizes that we're so busy. I think he just sees you pregnant, and his step sister pregnant, and Lucas and Peyton thinking having another kid... It just makes him want another." Haley shrugged. "Haley, why not have another one? I mean, you're not getting any younger." Quinn said, nodding at her. "Hey! You're older than me." Haley protested. "Plus, Jamie is 13. If you wait any longer, he'll be off to college before you pop out another one." Quinn said, nudging her. Haley shook her head, "I don't think it's the right time to have a baby." She said, sighing softly. "Oh, please. You just don't want to 'steal my thunder.' That's right, I know you. I don't care at all. My baby needs a friend." Quinn said, patting her stomach. "Your baby can befriend Megan's baby." Haley shrugged her shoulders. "He's going to get you pregnant anyways, Hales. Might as well make it planned this time." Quinn chuckled. "Why is that?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows. "Because, look at who his father is. Two unplanned children. Both women on birth control. Look at you, two unplanned children while on birth control." Quinn chuckled, shrugging. "Lydia was semi planned." Haley said, petting the dog in Quinn's lap. "Okay, well I predict that you're pregnant by Christmas." Quinn said, shaking her head. "Nope, I'm going to Paris and I'm going to drink wine." Haley said, letting out a sigh. "Paris?" Quinn asked, raising her eyebrows. "Yeah, Nathan and I are going to Paris a couple weeks before Christmas. I'm not getting pregnant until after that." Haley said, shaking her head. "That's where you're going to get pregnant. Have another baby, Haley. Please." Quinn said, shaking her softly. "Quinn, I'm my going to have a baby just because you want me to." Haley laughed, shrugging. "Have a baby because your husband is hot! And you kids are beautiful. And you're an amazing mom, and I've learned so much from watching you. Come on, Hales." Quinn begged. Haley rolled her eyes, "Speaking of being an amazing mom..." She trailed off, standing up and walking over to the dresser, picking up the journal. "Look at what Nathan gave me." She said quietly, holding out to Quinn. Quinn opened it, looking down. "This was Mom's." She said, smiling. "She gave it to him, and told him to give it to me when he felt like the time was right. I stayed up for a few hours after Nathan had fallen asleep reading it." Haley said, looking over at Quinn. Quinn read the first page, grinning. "Aw, it starts from the day you were born." She said, handing it back to Haley. Haley nodded, "It's crazy to read." She smiled. "I still miss her so much." She whispered. Quinn hugged her, holding the puppy up. "Lick her face, boy. Show her some love." The dog started to lick Haley's face. "Oh no. This is not what I want." Haley laughed, nudging the dog away. "Now show me more of the stuff Nathan got you." Quinn said, clapping her hands.

Nathan walked into the room about an hour later, looking at Quinn. "Puppy me." He said, holding out his hands. Quinn chuckled, handing him the puppy. He held it up, letting it lick his face. "Looks like you've been replaced, Hales." She laughed, looking over at Haley. "Oh no, baby. You go ahead and lick wherever the hell you want." Nathan smirked, winking at Haley. Haley rolled her eyes, "Nathan." She chuckled, standing up. "Okay, is everything cleaned up?" She asked him, gently resting her hand on Nathan's chest. He leaned down, kissing her softly. "Yes." He hummed. "Now, I believe you promised Clay some breakfast? I guess I'll go get started on that." Haley said softly, kissing Nathan's cheek. "No, Hales. Stay up here and make me a niece or nephew." Quinn winked at her, standing up. "What did I miss?" Nathan questioned, raising his eyebrows. "Nothing, Nathan. We aren't having another baby right now." Haley said, walking out of the room. "So close." Quinn chuckled, patting Nathan's shoulder and following Haley out. Nathan shook his head, walking after them. "Haley, let's go get the kids after this so we can show them the dog." He said, looking over at her, patting the dog's head. He set him down on the kitchen counter, smiling. "Hell no. Not on the counter, Nathan." Haley said quickly, looking at Clay. "Alright, Clay. What would you like for breakfast?" She asked him. "I'm okay with anything." Clay replied, smiling at her. "Nathan! Get the dog off the counter." Haley said again, scowling at him. "The magic lasted for 15 awesome years." Nathan chuckled, looking at Clay. Haley threw a dishrag at him, "Okay, wash the counter." She grumbled, beginning to make Clay an omelet. He looked over at Clay, lifting the dog off of the counter, setting him on the ground. Nathan began to wipe off the counter, looking over at Haley. "Don't put the dog on my counters." Haley said to him. "I'm sorry, Hales." He said, rubbing her back softly. "I love you." He hummed, kissing her cheek. "I love you too." She replied, looking over at him. "Just to clarify, and I shouldn't have to say this, but the dog never goes on my kitchen counters." She informed him. "Noted." Nathan replied, wrapping his arms around her waist. "How long are you guys going to stay here?" He asked, looking over at Quinn. "We'll leave right now if you're going to get me another niece or nephew." Quinn chuckled. "That works for-" Nathan began, stopping when the puppy jumped up on him, resting his paws against his leg. "Hales! Look." He grinned, picking up the dog. "I guess that's a no. I want the food anyways." Clay chuckled. "Oh how sexy it is when you pick the dog over me." Haley teased him. "Never in a million years, Haley James. I just knew where the conversation was going." Nathan said, walking over and sitting next to Clay. "Maybe I'll go pick up the kids." He looked over at Haley. Haley smiled at him, "Fine, go get them." She said, chuckling quietly. Nathan handed the puppy to Clay, rushing around and kissing Haley softly. "I'll see you soon, baby. I love you." He hummed, hurrying out of the room.

Nathan walked back in a little while later, a wide grin on his face. "Haley!" He yelled out, covering both of his children's eyes. Haley chuckled quietly, walking out and holding the dog in her arms. She smiled at her husband, who looked like he was about to explode from how excited he was. "Okay, are you guys ready?" He asked them, looking down. "Yeah, Dad. Just show us." Jamie laughed. Nathan looked up at Haley, uncovering the kids eyes. Haley set the puppy down, smiling as he ran towards them. "A puppy!" Lydia cheered out, looking at it with wide eyes. "Sweet! This is our dog, right?" Jamie asked, looking up at Nathan. Nathan nodded his head quickly, "Yeah. Looks like Mom finally gave in." He grinned, looking over at Haley. "What's his name?" Lydia asked, looking at her parents. "We were waiting for you two, before we named him." Haley said, kneeling down and petting the dog. "I think we should name him Sparkles!" Lydia suggested, looking up at Nathan. "Okay, that's one option." Nathan said, looking at Haley and shaking his head quickly. "Max?" Jamie suggested. "I like Max." Nathan shrugged. "Max sounds good. It's simple." Haley said, looking at Lydia. "I like Sparkles." Lydia said, frowning. "Sparkles can be his imaginary friend's name." She said, looking up at her mother. "Right, Mama?" She looked over at Nathan. Haley nodded her head, "Yeah, of course." She said, smiling. "Hey dad, you want to go play basketball with Chuck and me at the Rivercourt?" Jamie asked him. "Sure, buddy." Nathan said, looking over at Haley. "Yeah, yeah. Go." Haley said, waving her hand. "Okay, Jame. Go change, I'll meet you back here." He said, hurrying up the stairs. Nathan came downstairs a few minutes later, looking over at Haley and Lydia. The two of them were sitting on the ground next to Max, petting him softly. He walked over to them, leaning down and kissing Haley on the top of the head. He rested his hand on Lydia's head, smiling down at her. "I'll see you later, short stack. Oh, and Lydia." He said, smirking. Haley smacked his leg softly, shaking her head. "Bye, Nathan." She said, laughing quietly. "Bye, Daddy." Lydia smiled up at him, waving. He smiled down at them, "I'll be in the car, Jamie!" Nathan called out, hurrying out to the garage.

"So Jamie..." Nathan began, looking over at Chuck and Jamie. "How's Madison?" He asked him, smirking slightly. "Dad." Jamie groaned, shaking his head. "Yeah, Jamie. How's Madison?" Chuck mocked him. Nathan flicked Chuck on the back of the head, "Chuck, grow up man." He laughed, shaking his head. "She's fine." Jamie said, sighing softly. "You didn't tell mom, right?" He asked. Nathan shook his head, "No, I didn't tell her." He said, shooting the ball into the hoop. "But she knows, doesn't she?" Jamie asked him, sighing softly. "Maybe." Nathan replied, glancing at his son. "I didn't tell her, she found out. I swear." He shrugged. "I'm surprised she hasn't said anything about it, honestly." Jamie said, shooting the ball once Nathan handed it to him. "Yeah, me too." Nathan laughed, looking over at Chuck. "What about you, Chuck? I mean, I can't imagine anyone would be able to put up with you." He teased him, shaking his head. Chuck looked over at Nathan, "Your sister is hot." He said, shrugging. "Dude." Jamie said, shaking his head quickly and sighing. "Yeah, I don't think so Chuck. You don't get to date her, sorry buddy." Nathan said, shrugging. "I'm just saying. I think she likes me too." Chuck said, smirking slightly. "She doesn't. She won't." Nathan replied, scowling. "Whatever you say, Nate." Chuck said, shooting the ball into the hoop. "Nate?" Nathan asked, glancing over at Jamie. "I'm trying it out." Chuck shrugged. "Yeah, no." Nathan laughed, taking the ball from Chuck. Jamie laughed quietly, "I told you he wouldn't like it, Chuck." He said, shaking his head. Nathan hurried over to the picnic table when his phone started ringing, picking it up. "Hey Hales." He said, smiling slightly. "Whipped." Chuck said, doing a whipping motion with his hand. Nathan threw the ball at Chuck, rolling his eyes. "Hey, Nathan. Do you think you'll be much longer?" Haley asked him. "Why? What's wrong?" He frowned. "Nothing, it's just getting a little weird over here. Uh... Brandon and Marisa start fighting, and then they literally stop in the middle of a sentence and start making out. It's so uncomfortable." She said, chuckling quietly. "Oh man, that sounds bad." Nathan laughed. "Yeah, we can head home. I'll see you in a bit. I love you." He said, hanging up and looking over at the two boys. "Okay, guys. If I miss this shot, then Chuck can spend the night at our house." He said, smirking. Nathan stood up on the picnic table, Chuck tossing the ball to him. He shot it into the basket, watching it sail in. "Damn, Chuck. Looks like you have to go home." He laughed. Chuck shook his head, "No, that's okay. I'll still go to your house." He replied. "Of course you will." Nathan said, sighing softly. "Alright, let's go." He said, walking over to the car and getting in.

Nathan walked into the house, Chuck and Jamie following behind him. "Okay, guys. Go upstairs for a little bit." He said softly, pointing upstairs. He found Haley in the living room, sitting on the couch, while Marisa and Brandon were sitting on the other couch, not paying any attention as Nathan walked into the room. Nathan raised one eyebrow, sitting down next to Haley. "So, what do you want me to do?" He asked her, laughing quietly. He looked over at them, watching as they started to kiss. "Oh, this is just terrible." Haley grumbled, looking up at Nathan. "I tried to leave but Brandon called me back in here because he wanted to talk to me. That did not happen." She said, sighing. Nathan thought for a second, before leaning forward, beginning to kiss Haley's neck. Within seconds, Brandon had stood up, walked over to Nathan, and pulled him away from her by his t-shirt. "No." He said, walking back over and sitting down by Marisa. "Brandon, come on. Be nice." Marisa said, shaking her head. "No, that's my little sister." Brandon replied, scowling at Nathan. "Well, that got them to stop kissing. I'm going to go shower. Jamie and Chuck wore me out. They're getting way better." He said quietly to Haley, standing up. "As fun as this has been. I'm going to go shower." He hummed. "Wait, Nathan. I'll come with you." Haley said quickly, standing up. Nathan raised one eyebrow, smirking at her. "Oh, no. Not like that. I just have to get something from upstairs." She said, grabbing Nathan's hand and pulling him up the stairs.

"That was so... Gross." Haley said, shaking her head. "I mean, I'm scarred for life." She laughed. Nathan chuckled quietly, "I don't understand what is happening down there, at all." He hummed. "It's like walking in on your parents or something. No one ever wants to do that. Ever." He said, chuckling. "It's not like I can just yank her off my brother like he does to you." Haley laughed, rubbing Nathan's back. "Yeah, I only did that because I knew it would get him away from her. Fifteen years, and none of your brothers like me to get closer than a handshake with you." Nathan chuckled. "My brother doesn't even like it very much." He said, shaking his head. "That's because your brother is practically my brother." Haley said, patting his chest. "I just need to figure out what to take downstairs with me." She hummed, looking around the room. "Let's just not go back down there, and pretend that they don't exist." Nathan laughed, looking at her. "That's one option." She said, shaking her head. "You go shower. I'll wait for you." Haley said, picking up her Mom's journal and sitting down on the bed. He walked over to her, kissing her softly. "I love you, Hales." He hummed, before hurrying into the bathroom.

"So Quinn wants us to have another kid." Nathan said, pulling a shirt on over his head. "I'm aware." Haley said, not looking up from the journal. "And I want us to have another kid." He said, looking over at her. "I'm aware." She said again, glancing up for a second, before looking back down. "So... Why not have another kid? The reason you gave me was because you didn't want to steal Quinn's thunder." He shrugged his shoulders, sitting on the end of the bed. "I don't want to talk about this right now, Nathan. You don't have to carry around a baby inside of you for nine months." She said, shrugging. "Fine." He sighed, standing up. "So, where are your brother's kids?" Nathan asked her. "I don't know, they're keeping themselves busy." Haley said, glancing up at Nathan for a second. "Jacob is probably with Lydia and the dog. I'm assuming that Braxton is with Jamie and Chuck. Savannah and Makayla are probably together, and I have no clue what Jack is doing." She shrugged. "That's a lot of names. How do you tell the difference between Savannah and Makayla again?" Nathan asked her. "Makayla has a scar on her forehead from when Savannah threw a shoe at her." Haley laughed quietly, shaking her head. "That's a lot of kids. I should of invited them to come play basketball." Nathan sighed. "They don't like basketball." She said, glancing at him, then back down. "Oh right, I forgot. Your family is weird." He grumbled. Haley shook her head, "You really want to go there, Nathan?" She laughed, smiling at him. "I guess I don't. Forget I said anything." He chuckled, standing up and kissing her forehead. "You brother has a lot of kids. We only have two. How are we supposed to build a small army with only two children?" Nathan asked her. Haley shook her head, and continued to read without replying. "Fine, fine. I'm done. I'll just love Max like he's my child." He chuckled. "Are you going to come back downstairs with me?" He asked her softly, taking the journal from her hands, and laying on top of her. Haley raised her eyebrows, laughing quietly. "What are you doing?" She asked him, chuckling. "Nothing." Nathan shrugged, resting his head on her shoulder. "Well, I can't come with you when you do that." She chuckled, running her fingers through his hair. "I think that we should sleep like this tonight. I'm comfy." He teased her. "Yeah, no. You're crushing me." Haley chuckled, rubbing his neck softly. "Okay, fine. Let's just go downstairs and tell your brother to stop kissing his wife." He chuckled, climbing off of her. "That was so random." She said, standing up and grabbing onto his hand, heading down the stairs.

Nathan sat in bed at the end of the day, petting Max, who was laying on the end of the bed. He yawned quietly, looking down at the dog. "Haley, hurry up." He said, smiling at Max. "You can go to bed without me, Nathan." Haley replied, walking out of the bathroom and putting her hair up into a bun. "I know, but I wanted to make sure you have a spot next to me before Max takes it." He chuckled. "He's not sleeping on our bed." She protested. Nathan shook his head, "Please, Hales. He's lonely." He hummed, looking over at her. Haley opened her mouth to reply, before sighing at the knock on her bedroom door. She walked over, pulling it open. "Brandon, hey." She said, looking over at Nathan. "Hey, can I come in really quick?" He asked. "Um, sure." Haley said, stepping out of the way. Nathan raised his eyebrows, "Uh, what's up man?" He asked, rubbing his neck. "So, I think that things are going to end up alright. I'm going to head back with her and the kids tomorrow." Brandon began, looking at Haley. "That's great!" She said, hugging her older brother. "Yeah, I really owe you for this, Haley. Both of you, really. So thank you." He said softly. Haley nodded at him, "Hey, don't worry about it. We just want you to be happy." She said softly. "Yeah, well. I hope everything turns out well. I mean... It's going to be rough. But I hope that we can manage our way through it." He mumbled. "If you ever need anything, I'm just a plane ride away. Not even a very long one either." She smiled, hugging him again. "Thanks again. Goodnight you two. I'll see you in the morning, I guess." Brandon said, smiling slightly and walking out of the room. Haley closed the doors, turning towards her husband, smiling. "That went fairly well." She said, walking over to the bed and getting in next to Nathan. Nathan nodded his head, "I hope that it all works out." He said, smiling at her. She nodded, pulling him so that he was laying down, resting her head on his chest. "I love you, Nathan. So much." Haley whispered. He nodded in return, "I love you too, baby. Never forget." He hummed, looking down when Max rested himself on Nathan's stomach. "This will not become a regular thing." Haley said, ruffling the fur on Max's head, kissing Nathan quickly, and shutting her eyes.


	28. Chapter 28

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **This one is very short. I'm sorry.**

 **Chapter 28**

Nathan sat in his office, talking to Clay when there was a knock on the door. "Come in." He said, passing Clay a rubber basketball that was on his desk. "Sorry I'm late. I was running behind this morning, and woke up late." Elizabeth said. Nathan glanced at the time, "It's noon. You just happened to be three hours late?" He asked, catching the ball once Clay threw it back to him. "I'm sorry, Nathan." She said. Nathan waved his hand, letting out a small sigh. "It's fine. Nothing has happened today anyways. It was probably pointless for you to even come in. Why don't you go home?" He suggested, glancing over at her. "Are you sure?" Elizabeth asked, frowning. "Yeah, I was probably going to leave soon anyways." He said, looking back at Clay. "Well... Alright." She said, walking out of the office. "Dude, that was kind of cold." Clay chuckled. Nathan shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah, well... I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea, so I'm trying to be abrupt." He said, sighing softly. "I'm trying to go without firing her." He shrugged. "Are you actually leaving?" Clay asked him. "Yeah, Haley texted me and told me she couldn't meet me for lunch because the Cafe is swamped, so I'm going to go see if there's anything I can help her out with." Nathan shrugged, running his fingers through his hair. "What a sweetheart." Clay teased, standing up. "I try. Is there anything you need from me before I take off?" Nathan asked. "I think I'm alright. If you're going to take off, I think I will too." Clay shook his head. Nathan nodded slowly, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Long night?" Clay asked him. "Yeah, I let the dog sleep in our bed and he kept walking all over us." Nathan replied, standing up and rolling his eyes. "Actually, maybe I should go check on Max instead." He said, picking up his car keys and phone off the desk. "Choosing the dog over your wife?" Clay teased him. "Hey, I feel bad that we left him home all day. He's chained up outside because Haley doesn't trust him. He's probably cold. Why don't you go check on Haley?" Nathan suggested, looking at him. "Dude. My wife is hot, and at home alone right now." Clay said, shaking his head. "Come on, Clay. Just stop by. Please. I have to go make sure he's alright." Nathan laughed, "And then if she needs help I'll run over there." He shrugged. Clay let out a sigh, "Fine. I'll go check on her. I don't know why you can't stop there." He grumbled. "Because if she's busy then I'll stay there, and no one will check on Max." Nathan said, shrugging. "Let me know, Clay." He said, walking out.

Haley looked up when Clay walked in, waving at him. "Hey Clay. What can I get you?" She asked him. Clay looked around, "Oh, nothing. I'm just checking in." He said, shrugging. "Checking in?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. "Yeah, Nathan had to go check on your dog, and told me to come check on you." He said, looking at her. "You look pretty swamped, so I'll get out of your hair." Clay began, stopping when Elizabeth walked in. Haley looked at Clay, scowling slightly. His eyes widened, sitting down quickly. Haley looked over at Brooke, who was busy helping someone else. She let out a small sigh, walking over to where Elizabeth had sat down. "Haley? I didn't know what you worked here." Elizabeth said, smiling up at her. "Yeah, I actually own the place with my friend Brooke." Haley said, sending her a fake smile. "Aw, how nice. Nathan's not here, is he?" Elizabeth asked, looking up at her. "Oh no, he's at home." Haley replied, glancing over at Clay. "Oh, I saw Clay and figured he would be with him." Elizabeth looked in Clay's direction, waving. "Nope. He's at home. I got him a puppy for our anniversary, and he absolutely adores it." Haley said, nodding her head. "Oh yeah! I saw something about you guys on the news. Fifteen years is a long time." Elizabeth shrugged, sighing softly. "It's flown by, really." Haley said, smiling slightly. "Yeah, I'm sure. He can be kind of difficult sometimes, though." Elizabeth said, smiling. "Sometimes it's hard to keep him focused, especially around me." She added, smirking slightly. Haley raised her eyebrows, "Excuse me?" She asked. "Oh, nothing." Elizabeth shrugged, shaking her head. "Look, I think it would be best if you left." Haley said quickly, nodding towards the door. "I haven't even ordered anything-" Elizabeth protested, frowning. "No. Go. I have the right to refuse service to anyone, and I'm using it. Go." Haley said, pointing towards the door. Elizabeth got up slowly, shaking her head. "You don't need to worry about Nathan and me, Haley." She smirked, before walking out. Clay and Brooke both rushed over to Haley. "What happened?" They asked at the same time. Haley let out a deep breath, shaking her head. "She's such a whore. I don't know who she thinks she is." She grumbled, clenching her hands into fists. "What happened?" Clay asked her, frowning. "It's not important. She's such a slut, dammit." Haley grumbled, closing her eyes and sighing heavily. "Look, we're busy so I'm just going to get back to work. Just tell Nathan that I'm fine, and we don't need his help." She sighed, walking away from them. Clay looked at Brooke, "Yikes." He mumbled. "Yeah, Nathan's whore messed with the wrong person. Haley isn't going to let this go." Brooke laughed, looking over at him. He nodded his head, sighing softly. "Well, I'll see you guys later." Clay laughed, walking out.

Haley walked inside the house at about 3:30, Lydia and Jamie following behind her. "But I don't want to do my homework, Mama. It's stupid." Lydia whined. "Don't say stupid. Go do your homework." Haley said, sighing softly. "Yeah, Lydia. Your homework isn't even that bad. It's easy." Jamie said to her, shaking his head. "No it's not!" Lydia frowned at him, pushing him softly. "Uh, yeah it is." He replied. "No, it's hard! It's stupid, and you're stupid." She frowned, pushing him again. Jamie held his hand out to stop her. "I'm not stupid, you're stupid." He said, scowling. "Okay! That's enough!" Haley said, grabbing Lydia and pulling her back. "I don't know what's wrong with you two, but there's no calling each other stupid in this house. Jamie, you're a lot older that Lydia so of course her homework is easier to you. But she's just barely learning it. So go up stairs and do your homework too. Both of you, go. Now. Or else I'll get Dad involved." She waved her hand. "Dad won't do anything." Jamie said, shaking his head and walking up the stairs. "Go do your homework, Lydia. I'm not joking." Haley said, sighing softly. "I don't want to, you're mean!" Lydia scowled, running up the stairs. "Fine, I'm mean. I don't care." Haley mumbled, sighing. Nathan walked down the stairs, looking at her. "What was that about?" He asked her. "They're your kids, Nathan. You want to have another one? Another kid that doesn't want to do their homework?" Haley asked, sighing softly. "Homework isn't so bad, Haley." He said, raising his eyebrows. "Nathan, when we were in high school, I had to force you to do your homework." She pointed out. "Oh, I remember." He smirked, nodding at her. "Wipe that smirk off your face, Scott. I'm not too happy with you right now either." Haley grumbled. "Why?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. "Because you hired a whore." She said to him, poking his chest, walking up the stairs. Nathan raised his eyebrows as he heard the door slam shut, shaking his head. "Well, that happened." He said to himself, sighing softly.

Haley had finally come back downstairs at about eleven o'clock, finding Nathan watching a movie. "Hey." She said, sighing softly. "I'm sorry, I know that was crazy." She mumbled, sitting next to him. "Yeah... What happened?" Nathan asked, pausing his movie. "She's such a whore. I know she is, dammit. Why don't you just fire her, Nathan?" Haley asked, scowling at him. "Haley, I don't have a reason to fire her, really. She's good at her job." He said, sighing softly. "How hard is it to answer phones?" She asked, smoothing out Nathan's shirt. "Haley, come on." Nathan sighed, rubbing his hands down his face. "She came into the cafe today and said that you get distracted easily. Especially when she's around." Haley stood up, crossing her arms. He stood up, resting his hands on her shoulders, "I don't get distracted by her, Haley. Why would I get distracted by someone else when I have you?" He asked her. She let out a small sigh, closing her eyes. "This feels a lot like the Carrie situation all over again, Nathan." She mumbled, shaking her head. "Haley, why would you even say that?" He asked her, scowling. "Because it's the truth, Nathan! You don't know when to stop when it comes to other girls! You don't." Haley said, shrugging her shoulders. "I know when people have crossed the line, Haley." Nathan scowled at her. "But the thing is, you don't. You let other women get all touchy with you, and you tell them flirty jokes, and laugh at their flirty jokes and you don't even realize that you're doing it." Haley rubbed her eyes, sighing softly. Nathan rolled his eyes, picking up his phone when it started ringing. "Don't answer the phone when we're in the middle of a conversation, please." She said, looking at him. He shook his head, holding up a finger and answering the call. Haley watched him, frowning slightly as his face fell, a look on his face that absolutely crushed her. "Are you sure?" She heard him say quietly into the phone. "Thank you, I appreciate the call. Goodbye." Nathan said after a minute, dropping his phone on the couch. He sat down slowly, pressing his face into his hands. "What?" Haley asked him quietly, sitting down next to him. Nathan let out a shaky breath, looking over at her. "Whitey died."


	29. Chapter 29

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 29**

Haley's heart broke at Nathan's words. Her heart broke at the look on his face, and the way his voice sounded. He had made it his job to always be there for Whitey the last few years, visiting him at least once a week. She was near tears, and she could tell that he was too. "Nathan..." Haley trailed off, resting her hand on his face. Nathan stood up quickly, pushing his fingers through his hair. "I'll be back." He mumbled, grabbing the car keys off the hook. "Nathan, don't go." She said quickly, following him to the garage. "Don't wait up for me, Haley. I'll be back." He said softly, getting into the car. Haley grabbed the door handle to stop him from shutting it, looking at him. His eyes were clouded, and seemed a lot more gray than the usual bright blue. "Where are you going?" She asked him softly. "I'll just see you later." Nathan mumbled, sucking in a deep breath. Haley nodded slowly, letting go of the door handle, watching him drive away.

Haley had stayed up most of the night, waiting for Nathan to come home. But he never did. She woke up at around seven to the phone ringing. She got up quickly, picking up. "Hello... Is this Haley Scott?" The voice asked. "Yeah, this is her." She replied. "So... I'm John Stevens, the Gym teacher at Tree Hill High School. I found your husband asleep in my office this morning, and he is in no shape to be driving." John said, sighing softly. "I'm so sorry! I'll come get him right away." Haley said, frowning slightly. "Thank you. Also, I'm sure this has to do with the death of Whitey Durham. I'm very sorry for your loss." John said into the phone, before hanging up. She let out a deep breath, glancing at the time. She quickly called Deb, sighing softly. "Hello?" Deb asked into the phone. "Hey, Deb. It's Haley. I need you to do me a huge favor. So... I don't know if you heard, but Whitey passed away last night. Nathan is taking is very hard, and I have to go pick him up because he didn't come home last night. Do you think that you can drop by and take Jamie and Lydia to school? I'll get them up, and make sure that Lydia is ready. I need to go get Nathan." Haley said, closing her eyes. "Of course! I'm so sorry to hear about that, Haley. Tell them I'll be there to pick them up in a little bit." Deb said softly. Haley hung up the phone, letting out a deep breath, hurrying to Lydia's room. She woke her up quickly, before heading into Jamie's room. "Jamie? Grandma is coming to pick you up in a little bit. I really need your help this morning, so please get up and get ready." She said softly. Jamie looked up at her, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Is everything okay?" He asked her softly, sitting up. "We'll talk about it later. I'm going to get Lydia ready really quick, then I have to go. Please watch her and make sure she eats something. I'll feed the dog and put him outside." Haley asked, smoothing out Jamie's hair, before hurrying back to Lydia's room. Fifteen minutes later, she was in the car, hurrying to Tree Hill High.

Haley pulled into the parking lot, getting out of the car quickly. She walked over to the gym, walking in slowly. She let out a slow, deep breath, looking around. There was so many great memories in this gym, and Whitey had been partially responsible for a lot of them. She forced herself to calm down when she saw Nathan sitting on the bleachers, his head down. Haley walked over to him slowly, sitting down next to him. "Hi baby." She said softly, brushing his hair behind his ear, rubbing her hand up and down his back. Nathan let out a deep breath, "Hey." He mumbled, not looking up at her. She slid her arm around him, holding onto him tightly. "Nathan." She whispered, resting her forehead on the side of his head. "Everything is going to be alright, I know it." Haley said softly, kissing his head. She rested her hand on his knee to stop it from bouncing, rubbing his leg with her thumb softly. Nathan nodded his head silently, staring down at the ground. "I should of gone over there yesterday. I should of checked on him." He said quietly, his voice a little hoarse. Haley shook her head, standing up and kneeling down in front of him, resting her hands on his knees. "Don't do this, Nathan. This isn't your fault." She said softly, resting her hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look at her. She could tell that he'd been crying, and also that he was nearing tears again. Haley rested her forehead against Nathan's, gently brushing her thumbs over his cheekbones. "Come on, Nathan. Let's go." She said, standing up, grabbing his hand. Nathan looked around the gym, letting out a deep breath, standing up and holding onto her hand tightly, following her out.

They drove in silence for awhile, not really going anywhere, just driving. Eventually, Haley pulled the car off to the side of the road, looking over at her husband. She reached over, grabbing his hand, holding it to her lips. It hurt her a lot to see him like this. She was totally unprepared for situations like this. He hadn't been like this when Dan had passed away. He looked so distant right now. Haley wasn't feeling totally stable herself, but she knew she had to be strong for her husband's sake. Nathan looked at her after a second, "Why're we stopped?" He asked her. Haley kissed his knuckles again, holding onto his hand tightly. "Because I'm going to take care of my man." She said softly, climbing into the back. "I don't really feel like having sex right now." He mumbled, sighing. "Not what I meant. Come back here." She chuckled, gesturing him towards her. Nathan sighed softly, beginning to climb into the back. After struggling for a little bit, he managed to get into the back. He laid down between her legs, pressing his face into her shoulder. Haley rubbed his back softly, holding him close to her. "I love you, Nathan." She whispered. "I'm here. I'll always be here." She said softly, stroking his hair. "I'm sorry. I just need to toughen up. You probably felt a thousand times worse after your mom passed away." He mumbled, moving to sit up. Haley held him against her, "Nathan, don't do that. Don't try to cover up your pain and just pretend like it isn't there. It doesn't solve anything. You don't need to toughen up, because losing a loved one is one of the toughest things a person can go through." She whispered, resting her cheek against his head. "I owed him so much." Nathan mumbled into her shoulder, sucking in a deep breath. Haley rubbed her hand up and down his back, closing her eyes and holding him close. "When I'm in that gym, I still feel like he'll be in there yelling at me. Telling me to stop staring at the cheerleaders." Nathan mumbled. "I go back to all the wins and losses in that gym. I spent so much time on that court with Whitey as my coach. He didn't give up on me. He was going to retire... But he didn't. So I could go to college and play basketball. He always looked out for us, Haley." Nathan whispered, tears beginning to run down his cheek. Haley stayed quiet, holding onto Nathan tighter, gently running her fingers through his hair. They had known that this was probably going to happen pretty soon, because Whitey had been getting very old. He was pretty grumpy, except when they brought Lydia around to see him. He adored Lydia, and was fond of Jamie too, but he was always at his happiest when Lydia was around him. Nathan's voice brought her out of her thoughts, "Did you call Lucas?" Nathan asked her softly, clearing his throat. "Yeah, I did. He said that he's going to call around and tell people. They're going to come here tomorrow and stay until the funeral." Haley said quietly, looking down at him. He was shaking so much, and he was cold too, which was not normal. She gently rubbed her hands up and down his arms, closing her eyes and sucking in a deep breath. Haley held onto him tightly, wiping away the tears on her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Haley. I don't know what's wrong with me." Nathan mumbled, nuzzling his face into her shoulder. "Nathan, I love you. Don't apologize for being sad. You have every reason in the world to be sad. Whitey was like family." She said softly, rubbing his back. "I didn't get this upset when my dad died." He said quietly. Haley looked at him, kissing his head softly. "Dan was a completely different situation." She said quietly. "You looked up to Whitey a lot, Nathan. He was a role model for you. It's understandable that you're upset." Haley whispered, looking down at him. She smoothed out his hair, glancing at the time. "I should of come home last night, I'm sorry." He mumbled, sighing softly. She kissed his head, "Yeah, you should of. But it's alright." She said quietly, gently rubbing his back. "What can I do, Nathan? To help?" She asked him. "Being here is helping me." He whispered, sitting up a little bit. "What can I do to help you?" He asked her. Haley smiled at him, pulling his head back down onto her shoulder. "Let me help you." She said softly. Nathan nodded his head slowly, closing his eyes. After awhile, both of them had fallen asleep.

Haley's eyes blinked open at the sound of her phone ringing. "Nathan." She said softly, nudging him. Nathan lifted up his head slowly, before sitting up and stretching his arms above his head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep." He mumbled. Haley smiled at him, grabbing her phone. "Hello?" She said. "Haley! Where are you guys?" Brooke asked her. "We were driving around, and stopped for a little bit and fell asleep." Haley said, rubbing her neck lightly. "Oh. Well I'm at your house. Skillz and Mouth are here too. They're eating all your food. How's Nathan?" Brooke asked her. "He's doing alright. We're on our way home now." Haley said softly, hanging up the phone and climbing into the front seat. Nathan opted just to get out of the car, then get back in the passenger side. Haley looked over at him, resting her hand on his leg. "I love you, baby." She said softly, leaning over and kissing his cheek. "I'm sorry." He said quietly, "I didn't mean to fall asleep. You were in a weird position. You probably hurt. Sorry." Nathan mumbled, sighing. She looked over at him, "I'm fine, Nathan." Haley said, beginning to drive home. She kept her hand some part of her husband the whole drive home. She'd never seen him quite like this before. There had been smaller versions of this, but he just looked so defeated. After a few minutes, Haley pulled into the garage, looking over at Nathan. "Let me get your door for you." He said softly, getting out quickly and hurrying around to her door, pulling it open. She smiled at him slightly, rubbing his cheek and getting out. "Brooke, Skillz, and Mouth are inside." She said softly. Nathan nodded his head, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "Thank you. For being here. I'm sorry for not being stronger." He whispered. Haley looked at him, hugging him tightly. "You're as strong as they get, Nathan. It's hard. But you have me, and I have you." She whispered. "When my mom died, you were always there. So I'm going to be here for you, baby." Haley kissed him softly, smiling. Nathan nodded his head slowly, walking into the house.

As soon as they were inside, Brooke was hugging Nathan. She looked up at him, "Hey buddy." She said softly. "How's it going?" She asked him, rubbing his shoulder. "Been better." Nathan mumbled, looking over at Skillz and Mouth, nodding. "Hey guys." He said softly. Skillz walked over, patting Nathan on the back. "Hey man." Skillz said, giving Nathan a brief hug. "This sucks, huh?" He said, sighing softly. Nathan nodded his head, "Yeah, man. It sucks a lot." He said, looking over at Mouth. Mouth sent him a small smile, "We just wanted to check on you." He said, nodding at Nathan. "I'm alright, guys. Thank you though, I appreciate the concern. I'm going to go take a shower." Nathan said, hurrying up the stairs. Haley sighed softly, looking over at Skillz and Mouth, hugging them quickly. "How're you doing, Haley?" Mouth asked her. "I'm doing alright. It's hard, and it will always be hard." Haley sighed, looking at Brooke. "Yeah, I can't believe it. I'm assuming that Nathan isn't actually doing that well." Brooke said, frowning. Haley shook her head, "I just spent the last two hours asleep in the car with him. So, what do you think?" She sighed, looking down. "Once Luke gets here, I think that will help." Skillz said, sighing. "It will help Nathan, it will help all of us." He looked over at Haley. "Hopefully. We're supposed to go over to Whitey's house soon and look at his stuff, since he didn't have any family. I think I'm going to wait for Lucas though." Haley said, hugging Brooke. "It's crazy. I mean... He was pretty old. But it's still weird to think about." Brooke sighed, rubbing Haley's back. "Nathan is taking it pretty hard. Whitey has done so much for him. He's done so much for all of us, and it's just hard in general." Haley sighed. Skillz hugged her again, "Whitey helped me too. Without him, I'd probably be working in that factory." He sighed. "Without him, I have no idea where we would be in life right now, honestly. I don't think Nathan would of played basketball in college if Whitey hadn't helped us." She sucked in a deep breath. "Do you want us to go talk to him?" Brooke asked her. "No, that's fine. I think I can get him to talk to me. But you're my secret weapon, Brooke Davis. He opens up to you sometimes when he won't open up to me." Haley chuckled. Brooke smiled at her, hugging her tightly. "You let me know if you guys need anything. I'll take Jamie and Lydia any second of the day. Jamie distracts my boys, and Lydia helps me." She nodded. Haley smiled, hugging her once more. "Same here, Haley. I'd to anything for your family." Skillz said, smiling at her. "Millie and I would be happy to do anything for you guys." Mouth added, hugging Haley. "Thank you. If you guys need anything, I'll be here too. This effects you guys as well, so keep us in mind if you need anything." Haley smiled at them. "Okay, well... Call me, Haley. Come on, boys. Let's go save my husband from all of our hyper children." Brooke said, waving at Haley, tugging Mouth and Skillz out of the house.

Haley sucked in a deep breath, walking up the stairs slowly. She heard the shower running, sitting down on the edge of the bed, waiting for Nathan to come out. She glanced down at his phone, grabbing it. He had five missed calls from Elizabeth. Haley shook her head, answering the phone when it started to vibrate, meaning she was calling her husband for a sixth time. "Hello?" She asked into the phone. "Oh! Haley. Clay told me the news. I was just calling to see if Nathan was coming in to the office, and to make sure he was alright." Elizabeth said. "He's not coming in today, sorry." Haley said quickly, hanging up the phone and letting out a deep breath. Now was not the time to get all jealous. She had to be there for Nathan. Nathan walked out a few minutes later, tugging a sweatshirt onto his head. "Hey." Haley said softly, looking at her husband. He looked over at her, smiling slightly. "Haley, you don't need to look at me like that. I'm going to be alright." Nathan said softly. Haley stood up, "I know that you will be. Come here." She said softly, walking over to him, grabbing his hand and tugging him down onto the bed, laying next to him. She wrapped her arms around him, holding onto him tightly. "You are so strong, Nathan. I'm so proud of you. Whitey was proud of you too." Haley said softly, running her fingers through his damp hair. "What can I do?" She asked him softly. "Just being around you makes me feel better." Nathan said softly, closing his eyes and sucking in a deep breath. Haley looked at her husband, kissing his head softly. "Well, I'm all yours for as long as you need me." She said softly, slipping her hand into his shirt, outlining his defined stomach muscles. Nathan smiled slightly, holding into her tightly. After a second, he looked at her and sighed softly. "What if I could of done something to stop it?" He asked her, closing his eyes and sucking in a deep breath. Haley kissed his cheek softly, shaking her head. "Nathan. Look at me." She said quietly. He blinked his eyes open again, looking at her. She brushed a tear that had fallen off his cheek, "You can't think like that. There's nothing you could of done. It was his time, baby. We knew that this was going to happen." Haley said, kissing his forehead, "I love you, Nathan." She whispered, hugging him close. "I love you too." Nathan said quietly, letting out a deep breath. She ran her fingers through his hair, kissing him briefly. "You should try to get some rest." Haley suggested, smiling slightly at him. He shook his head, sitting up and stretching. "It's okay. How're you doing?" He asked, leaning against the headboard of their bed. She sat up, kissing his cheek. "I'm alright. I'm worried about you, though." She whispered, resting her hand on his cheek. "I'm fine, Haley." Nathan said quietly, looking down at her. "Are you?" Haley asked, raising one eyebrow. He looked at her for a second, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath. "I don't know." He mumbled. "Talk to me." Haley said, kissing his head. "There's not really much to say, baby. It's just hard." Nathan replied, leaning his head back. She rubbed his chest softly, "What can I do, Nathan?" She asked him. "I don't know, Haley." He sighed. Haley leaned over, kissing his cheek. "I love you, Nathan. I'm here." She whispered. Nathan nodded his head, sighing softly and getting out of bed. "I'm going to go clear my head a little bit. I love you, Hales. Thank you for everything you've done for me. I just..." He began. "Think you want to be alone for awhile. Alright, I get it." Haley finished for him, getting out of bed, walking over to him and hugging him tightly. "If you need me, never hesitate to ask for anything. Ever." She said softly, kissing him quickly. Nathan nodded his head, "I won't be gone too long, I promise." He said, before hurrying out of the room.

A few hours later, Haley's car pulled up next to the Rivercourt. Nathan glanced at her, sighing softly as he continued to shoot the ball around. "I thought I'd find you here. Jamie and Lydia were pretty upset when I told them. They're worried about you, though." Haley said, looking at him. He looked over at her for a second, "I should of been there to tell them." He said, shaking his head and retrieving the ball. "It's fine, Nathan. You've been gone quite awhile, though. I just wanted to check up on you." She said, smiling slightly. "How long has it been?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows. "Like four hours. No joke." Haley chuckled. "Have you been here the whole time?" She asked him. "Four hours? Wow. Yeah, I've been here." He replied, shrugging. "Typical Nathan Scott, losing track of time when he has a basketball in his hands." She said, smiling at him. Nathan looked over at her, nodding his head. "It's where I do my best thinking." He shrugged. Haley nodded, holding out her hands, "Well, give it here. Let's see how well I think." She demanded. He raised his eyebrows, passing her the ball. "Don't hurt yourself, Hales." He said, shaking his head. "I have learned a thing or two over the last fifteen years, Nathan." She replied, shrugging. Haley raised the ball up, throwing it towards the hoop. They both watched as it completely air balled to the left of the basket. Nathan started laughing, looking over at her. "Nice job, Hales." He said, giving her a thumbs up. "Yeah, whatever." She grumbled, walking over to him. "I'll just leave the sexy sports stuff to you." Haley laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Hey, you look damn good with a basketball in your hands. Just... Once you shoot it, well..." He teased her, trailing off. "I suck, I know. My husband was in the NBA and I can't play basketball to save my life." She said, shaking her head. "It's okay, you're good at a lot of other things." He shrugged his shoulders, "You're smart, and patient, and you're so talented. So there." He hummed, looking down at her. "What do you say we play a game of one on one?" Haley suggested, rubbing her hands up and down his arms, squeezing his bicep softly. "Hell yes." Nathan laughed, kissing her quickly. "The shirt has to go though." She joked, tugging on his shirt. "I'll take mine off if you take yours off." He smirked. "In your dreams." Haley laughed, picking up the basketball. "I get it first." She said. "Why don't we make it more fair? I'll start at zero, you start at ten. We play to fifteen." Nathan chuckled, pulling his shirt over his head and throwing it at her. "Sounds fair enough. I was just joking about the shirt though, it's too cold for that." Haley said, tossing it back to him. "It's okay, Haley. I'm tough. If only you were tough enough to lose yours." He replied cheekily, winking at her. "People could drive by." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "Lucas told me that Rachel stripped for him here." Nathan shrugged. "Oh, I'm sure that's an imagine you wanted from your old step mother." Haley smirked. "Don't go there with me." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Let's just play."

Nathan let go of the rim, dropping down and looking at Haley. "How the hell did I beat you? I gave you an unfair lead." He laughed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry that you're almost a foot taller than me and have played basketball." Haley panted out, resting her hand on her back. "You doing alright?" He chuckled. She shoved him slightly, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "You only scored one point, Haley. One. And that's because I didn't even guard you." Nathan pointed out. "Have I taught you nothing?" He asked, smirking at her. Haley shook her head. "Keep going, Scott. Lay it all on me." She grumbled, picking up the basketball. "Stupid basketball." She sighed, tossing it up, watching it roll around the rim, and fall to the side. Nathan laughed quietly, "Want to play another?" He asked, looking at her. "You know, I think I can only take so much. It's nice to see you play though." She nodded at him, walking over, resting her hand on his chest. "Your hands are cold." Nathan said quietly. "Your heart is beating fast." Haley replied, smiling up at him. "It's from all that hard work." He said sarcastically. "Oh, I'm sure." She said, shaking her head. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly to him. "I'll warm you up." He mumbled, rubbing his hands up and down her back. After a moment of silence, Nathan looked down at her. "Thanks for cheering me up for a little bit, Haley. I appreciate it." He whispered, kissing her forehead. Haley nodded, "I'm here to help you up when you fall, Nathan. It's going to be hard for everyone, but we'll get through it as a family." She said softly, kissing his cheek. She broke apart from him, grabbing his shirt and handing it to him. "Just one more game?" He asked her, smirking slightly. "I'll let you start at 13, and I will start at zero." Nathan hummed, pulling his shirt on. Haley looked up at him, sighing. "Fine. Give me the damn ball." She laughed, shaking her head.

Haley and Nathan walked into the house, finding Jamie, Lydia, and Deb all sitting at the counter eating dinner. "Hey." Nathan said, looking at them. Deb stood up quickly, walking over to Nathan and hugging him tightly. "How're you doing?" She asked him. "I've been better." He said, sucking in a deep breath. "How's your dramatic house going?" He asked, walking over and hugging Lydia and Jamie. "Megan goes back to school after Christmas, Jordan likes school which is good, and Nicole is... Nicole." Deb sighed softly. "She's a b-i-t-c-h, is what I think you meant to say." Nathan said quickly. Jamie started laughing, looking over at Haley. Haley shook her head, sending Nathan a disapproving look, leaning agains the counter. "Do you kids want to hear something?" She asked, looking over at Nathan. "I beat Dad at basketball." She said, smirking. "Dad! What?" Jamie looked at his father quickly, his eyes wide. "In my defense, we played to fifteen and I let her start the game with thirteen points. It was fourteen to fourteen at the end." He said, holding up his hands. "I still won." Haley shrugged her shoulder, smirking. "Haley, do you think you should be playing basketball? With the baby and everything?" Deb asked, frowning. Nathan glanced at Haley, then at his kids. "It wasn't anything bad, Mom. We were basically just shooting around. She's fine." He said, shrugging slightly. "Just be careful, please." Deb said softly. "I have had two kids, Deb. I'm careful." Haley replied, looking over at Nathan and rolling her eyes. Nathan chuckled quietly, looking at Jamie. "Yeah mom. You should be careful. Wouldn't want you to harm the baby or anything." Jamie added, smirking slightly. "Enough out of you. Did you do your homework?" Haley asked him. "Yes, ma'am. I'm going to go watch TV." Jamie replied, setting his plate in the sink, before hurrying away. "Ma'am?" Haley sighed, looking over at Nathan. "I don't like being called that." She groaned. "It's okay, Haley. It happens to me too." Deb said, gesturing to herself. "And I don't look a day over 25." She shrugged. "Haley doesn't look a day over 20." Nathan added, looking at his wife, then down at Lydia. "Right, Lyds?" He said, nodding. Lydia nodded her head, "Yeah, Mommy! You look like my twin sister." She giggled, giving Nathan a thumbs up. "Thank you, Lydia." Haley smiled. "What about me?" Nathan asked, raising his eyebrows. "Thank you, honey." She laughed, shaking her head. Deb walked over and hugged Nathan, "Okay, I'm going to go home. I love you guys. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you, alright?" She said softly. Nathan nodded his head, hugging his mother tightly. "Thanks, Mom." He said, looking over at Haley. Deb hugged Haley, before heading to Lydia. "Bye Lydia." She grinned at her, hugging her tightly. "You're my favorite granddaughter." She whispered to her, kissing her head. Lydia grinned, hugging Deb. "Bye!" She said, waving at her. Deb smiled at them, nodding and waving before heading outside. Haley looked at Nathan, walking around the counter, kissing him quickly. Lydia looked up at them, poking Nathan in the stomach. "Can we talk?" She asked him. Nathan raised his eyebrows, nodding his head, picking Lydia up, throwing her over his shoulder. "Be back in a little bit, Hales." He said, smiling and walking out of the room.

Nathan walked into Lydia's room, setting her down on the bed and sitting next to her. "What's wrong?" He asked her. Lydia looked up at him, "Why did Whitey die?" She asked him, frowning. Nathan let out a deep breath, looking at her. "He was getting old, little one." He said softly. "What happens when you die?" She asked him. "I'm not sure, Lydia." He mumbled, letting out a deep sigh. "Are you sad, Daddy?" She asked, looking up at him. "I'm very sad, yes." Nathan rubbed his face, looking down at her. "I'm sad too." Lydia frowned, hugging Nathan tightly. Nathan held her close to him, sighing softly. "It's okay to be sad. Mom and Jamie are sad too." He mumbled to her, kissing the top of her head. "Is it okay to cry?" Lydia asked him. Nathan nodded his head, "Of course. It's sad." He replied, sending her a small smile. "Have you cried?" She asked, sighing softly. He looked at her for a second, hugging her tightly. "Yeah, I have." He whispered. Lydia looked up at him, "I'm sorry that you're sad." She said quietly. He nodded, "I'm sorry that you're sad too." Nathan said quietly to her, rubbing her back. "How about we go downstairs and watch a movie as a family?" He suggested, standing up. Lydia nodded her head quickly, jumping onto her father's back, pointing to the door.

Nathan carried Lydia down the stairs quickly, finding Jamie and Haley sitting on the couch, Max sitting in Jamie's lap. He quickly set Lydia down on the couch, sitting next to her. Max hurried across everyone's laps, resting himself in Nathan's. "Why does he like you best?" Jamie grumbled. "Because I'm his master. Plus, everyone knows that I'm the best cuddler in the house. Followed by Max, then Lydia." Nathan smirked. Haley raised her eyebrows, wrapping her arm around Lydia's shoulders, poking Nathan in the sure. They put in a movie, and by then end of it, Haley looked around to find every single person (including Max) fast asleep. She smiled slightly, waking up Jamie and sending him up to bed. Jamie picked up Max, before heading up the stairs. Haley shook Nathan awake softly, watching him blink his eyes open. She kissed the corner of his mouth softly, before nodding at Lydia. "Will you take her up?" She whispered. Nathan nodded his head, picking up Lydia and heading up the stairs. Haley turned off all of the lights, and made sure the doors were locked before following them up. She found Nathan in the bathroom, brushing his teeth and looking very tired. Haley smiled slightly, walking up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She began to kiss his back softly, holding onto him tightly. "I love you, Nathan." She whispered. Nathan glanced back at her, smiling slightly. "I love you too, baby. Thank you." He replied. Haley let go of him, beginning to get herself ready for bed. Five minutes later, she walked into their bedroom, smiling at the sight of her husband. It was nice to see him looking peaceful after the long day they'd had. She climbed into her carefully, resting her head on Nathan's bare chest, "Goodnight." Nathan mumbled to her. Haley smiled slightly, "Goodnight." She replied, falling asleep.


	30. Chapter 30

**I don't own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 30**

Whitey's funeral was a few days later. Currently, everyone was meeting at Nathan and Haley's house to eat lunch. Haley set food down in front of Lydia, glancing over to see her husband excusing herself from a conversation with Peyton, and head up the stairs. She started to follow after him, before she felt Lucas grab her arm. "I've got this." Lucas said softly to her, smiling slightly, and heading after his brother. He found Nathan on the balcony in his and Haley's bedroom with a beer in his hand. Lucas frowned, looking at him and sighing softly. "Hey man." He said, stepping out. Nathan looked at him, "Oh, hey." He said, sighing. "How're you doing?" Lucas asked, leaning against the railing. "Everyone keeps asking me that question. How are you doing?" Nathan replied, shaking his head. "Nathan-" Lucas began. "No, Lucas. I don't want any of your poetic crap. Just tell me how you're doing." Nathan cut him off, shaking his head. "I've been better." Lucas said, slinging his arm around Nathan's shoulder. "Same here." Nathan mumbled, taking a long drink of the beer in his hand. "Where did you even get that? I didn't see any in your fridge." Lucas chuckled, smiling at his brother. "I brought it up here earlier. There's more in a cooler in the shower." Nathan said, shaking his head. "I'll be back then." Lucas said, patting Nathan's shoulder, returning a minute later with a beer of his own. The two of them sat out there silently for a few minutes, before Nathan looked at Lucas. "This sucks, Lucas." He said softly, sucking in a deep breath. Lucas rested his hand on Nathan's shoulder, "I know it does, little brother. But we knew that it was coming." He said to him. "We just need to remember all of the good times we had with Whitey. We need to remember the championships we won with him. All of the things he did for us. But we also need to remember what he taught us. Hard work pays off. He made us play in that shitty gym, so we would appreciate the nice one. He made us run until we were throwing up, so we could become stronger, and faster, and better." Lucas said to his brother, nodding slowly. Nathan let out a deep breath, tugging on his tie. "It's just hard, y'know? I feel like everyone is dealing with it so much better than I am." He mumbled, looking down and sighing. "Nathan, it's hard on everyone. If you really think about it, Whitey got us to where we are. He offered to let me join the Ravens, and if that wouldn't of happened... We would just be two kids who share a father, but never interact." Lucas said to him. "It's alright to be upset, Nathan. I'm upset. Peyton is upset. We're all upset. But my first thought when Haley called me and told me was about you. We're all taking it hard, but we're all worried about you too." He said quietly, looking down at the ground. "You guys don't need to worry about me. I'm being strong." Nathan assured him. "Sometimes the strongest people, are the ones who are brave enough to take down their wall an open up." Lucas said to him, patting his shoulder. "I told you I didn't want your poetry." Nathan grumbled out. Lucas laughed quietly, "Whatever, man. I'll see you downstairs." He said, heading out.

Nathan headed back down the stairs a few minutes later, finding Haley talking to Deb and Karen. He searched around the room, until he spotted Megan standing alone. He hurried over to her, "Hey." He said, smiling slightly. "Hey." Megan said, hugging him quickly. "You didn't have to come to this, y'know." Nathan said softly. "It's alright, Nate. We're family now." She said to him, smiling. "Nicole, Jordan, and my dad are around here somewhere." She informed him, looking around. He shrugged his shoulders, looking down at her. "So, how's everything going?" He asked her, letting out a small sigh. "Oh, you know. I still haven't told my boyfriend or my family that I'm pregnant. Things are going just dandy." Megan said, letting out a forced chuckled. "I can tell." Nathan said, looking around. "So, when are you going to tell them?" He asked. She looked at him, sighing. "Honestly, I have no idea. I mean, it will be obvious eventually." She mumbled, shutting her mouth as William, Nicole, and Jordan walked over. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Nathan. Deb told us about Whitey and you." Jordan said, smiling slightly up at her step brother. "Yeah, I'm sorry too." Nicole said softly, sighing. "Let us know if there's anything we can do, alright?" William said, shaking Nathan's hand. "I appreciate the support from all of you." Nathan responded, looking at Megan. "I'll talk to you later, alright?" He said to her, walking away quickly. Nathan headed over to Clay and Quinn, sucking in a deep breath. "Hey buddy." Clay said, hugging him quickly. "Hey." Nathan replied, sighing softly. "So... Can I talk to you for a second?" He began, letting out a small sigh. Clay nodded his head, following Nathan into a different room.

"I was just looking at my wife during the funeral. My beautiful, amazing wife, who has been there for me the whole entire week..." Nathan began softly, sighing. "I don't like to make her upset, Clay." He shook his head, looking at his friend. "What's going on, Nate?" Clay asked him, raising his eyebrows. "I think I need to fire Elizabeth. I know, this probably isn't the right time to talk about it. But I've been down this road before. Ignoring the little flirty remarks, telling myself that I'll tell her to stop next time. I'm not doing it again. I almost ruined my marriage, Clay. I can't let that happen again." Nathan said softly, shrugging his shoulders. Clay nodded his head, "I think that sounds like the right decision. You're her boss, she shouldn't be trying to get with you anyways." He said, smiling at Nathan. "I need to find another assistant though." Nathan sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Don't worry about that right now, buddy." Clay shrugged, "I'm proud of you, Nate. Just so you know. You're a great guy. I'm really sorry about Whitey." He said. Nathan looked at Clay, sighing softly. "Thanks man." He mumbled. Clay grinned at him, pulling him into a tight hug. Nathan chuckled, hugging him back for a second, shaking his head. "You're a good guy too. I'm so excited for you and Quinn. You want a boy, or a girl?" He asked his friend, smiling. "I want whatever you and Haley are going to have." Clay shrugged. "Yeah, she wants to wait a couple more years." Nathan grumbled. "Be Nathan Scott. She won't be able to resist you." Clay said, nudging him. "Tell her that my kid needs a cousin." He added, laughing quietly. Nathan chuckled, "I've tried. Anyways, we should probably get back out there." He said, sighing softly and following Clay out of the room.

Haley walked over to him as soon as she spotted him, tugging on his tie softly. "How're you doing?" She asked him softly, looking up at him. "I wish that everyone would stop asking me how I was doing." Nathan replied, sighing softly. "Sorry, you just keep sneaking off." Haley said softly, looking around the room at all of the guests in their home. "What were you and Clay doing?" She asked. He looked down at her for a second, before wrapping his arms around her. "Just how amazing you are." He said quietly, kissing the top of her head. Haley raised her eyebrows, shaking her head. "I'm serious, Haley. That's what we talked about. You've helped me so much the past few days. I've been a train wreck. I'm still a train wreck." He mumbled, holding her closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "I'll always be here to help you, Nathan." She said softly. Nathan nodded his head, sucking in a deep breath, before letting go over. "Thanks, Haley." He said, smiling at her. Haley kissed him briefly, "Alright, I'm going to go talk to Brooke. You let me know if you need anything, alright?" She said to him, nodding. He kissed her forehead, "Alright." He said softly, watching her walk away.

A few hours later, everyone had left except for Lucas, Peyton, Brooke, and Julian. Karen and Deb had offered to take all of the kids with them out to a movie. "It's nice to be back hanging out with you guys. I wish it was under different circumstances, but it's nice." Brooke said, looking around the room at her friends, smiling slightly. "We sure have missed you guys." Peyton said, smiling slightly. "We really can't wait to move back here. Tree Hill is home. It will always be home." She said, nodding to Brooke. "Always and Forever." Lucas teased, poking Haley softly. "Laugh it up, Lucas. We don't care." Haley chuckled, shaking her head. "Right honey?" She asked, looking over at Nathan. "Hm? Yep, you're right." Nathan mumbled, staring off into space. "Hey, Nathan. I'm thinking about taking Haley as my mistress, I've already talked to Brooke and she's fine with it. What do you think?" Julian asked him, chuckling quietly. "Sounds like a good idea." Nathan replied, sighing softly. "Then you and Nathan would have something in common." Peyton said, smirking slightly. "What would that be?" Julian asked, raising his eyebrows. "All three of the girls in this room. Right now, no one else can say that but him." She responded, laughing. "Hey, come on." Haley laughed quietly, shaking her head. "Don't talk about him when he's not even paying attention, it's not fair. Or as fun." Brooke said, smiling. "Haley is paying attention though. And it's fun to watch her defend him." Peyton laughed. "Well we could flip it around and say that you two have both slept with all of the guys in the room." Haley said, shrugging "Fair enough." Brooke laughed, smiling winking at Julian. Haley stood up, walking over to the chair Nathan was sitting in, sitting on the arm of it. "Hey you. Where's your head?" She asked, running her fingers through his hair. "Hm? Oh, nothing. I'm just thinking about the state championships." Nathan mumbled, glancing up at her. Haley kissed the top of his, rubbing his back softly. "I just can't believe I almost threw that game away. For Whitey, and for the team. Not to mention I almost got you killed and Jamie on the same night." He sighed, shaking his head and standing up. She reached out and grabbed his hand, glancing over at Lucas. "I'm just going to go for a drive. I won't be too long." Nathan said, letting out a deep breath and walking out of the room. Haley watched him leave, looking over at Lucas, sighing softly. Brooke cleared her throat, "How're you holding up, Haley?" She asked her softly. Haley shifted her gaze to Brooks, smiling slightly. "I'll do better once he does better." She said, running her fingers through her hair. "Maybe I should go talk to him." Lucas said, moving to stand up. Haley shook her head, "I usually let him be by himself for a little bit, and then go and find him." She sighed, sucking in a deep breath.

"So, Haley..." Peyton began, glancing at Lucas. "How are things going with William?" She asked, sending her a small smile. "I accidentally went off on Nicole at dinner a couple weeks ago. I called her a bitch in front of my children, and we haven't really talked to them since them. I mean, I've talk to Megan and Deb. But that's it. Jamie has adopted Jordan into his friend circle, which I'm grateful for. We get along with Megan for the most part, but Nathan sometimes gets annoyed at her. Not since the whole baby thing, though. He's been nice to her." Haley sighed, closing her eyes. "How's the whole baby thing working out for you anyways?" Brooke chuckled, leaning into Julian slightly. "Oh, you know. I think Deb is going realize that something isn't adding up pretty soon, and we'll see where it goes from there. Plus, it's really difficult not to drink anything alcoholic when I'm spending time with them." Haley added, laughing quietly. "Oh, I bet." Peyton chuckled. "Look, uh... I hate to ditch this party... But I'm going to go talk to Nathan. Peyton, I'm taking the car. I'll be back to pick you up eventually, so don't worry." Lucas said, standing up quickly. He kissed Peyton's forehead, nodding at Haley, Brooke, and Julian before rushing out. Peyton raised her eyebrows, "Well, he didn't let me even get a word out before he left." She chuckled, looking over at the other three people in the room. "Lucas is handling this whole thing well, but I think he's worried about Nathan. Just like the rest of us, I suppose." She said, sighing softly. "Nathan never has been very good at opening up." Brooke said, sighing softly. "He's like you in that way, B. Davis." Peyton chuckled, smiling at her. Brooke shook her head, rolling her eyes and smiling. "So, Peyton. When are you guys moving back here?" Julian asked, looking over at her. "We want to be moved back by Christmas, but it really all depends on Sawyer. We may have to wait until the end of the school year... We haven't exactly told her yet." Peyton shrugged, sighing softly. "That's not good. You do realize that it's getting close to Christmas, correct?" Haley laughed, raising her eyebrows. "Sort of, yeah. We'll see what happens." Peyton shrugged her shoulders. "What about having another baby?" Brooke asked, smiling at her. "We're working on it." Peyton replied, smirking slightly. "What about you two, Brooke?" She asked, leaning forward. "We'll see. If it happens again, that's great. But we're just lucky we have our boys. Our insane, crazy boys. And if one of them doesn't marry Lydia, then we'll be forced to have another. The same goes for you, Haley James Scott. And you, Peyton. Either one of you." Brooke laughed, kissing Julian's cheek. "I mean, I've done it before. Maybe we'll be lucky enough to have a sane girl that would rather not jump on us." Julian replied, smiling. "What about you, Haley?" Peyton asked. "Not right now, no." Haley replied, shaking her head. "Nathan and I are so busy, I don't think adding a baby to the loop right now would work out all that well." She said, sighing softly. "We'll see. When everyone has all these babies, you'll get baby fever." Peyton chuckled, shrugging. "Oh, I know I will. I always do." Haley said, smiling slightly. "Plus, I'm coming back and I'll help you with the studio so you'll have more free time." Peyton added. "Yeah, maybe. But Nathan gets busy." Haley shook her head. "Well, I bet you're pregnant before the end of the year." Brooke laughed, winking at her. "We'll see." Haley replied, sighing softly. "So, tell me more about this duet you are going to do with the boy you used to tutor. We didn't get the chance to talk about it." Peyton said, smirking slightly. Haley sighed, beginning to tell her about it.

Lucas walked into the old, dusty gym that the Ravens had played several games at in high school, watching his younger brother shoot some baskets, he opened his mouth to speak to him, before shutting it quickly as he watched Nathan. Nathan had let out a frustrated scream, and threw the ball at the wall. "Dammit!" Nathan yelled out, walking over to the wall and hitting his fist against it. Lucas frowned slightly, picking up the basketball as it rolled to his feet. He stepped up slowly so he was just behind the three point arc, looking over at Nathan. He cleared his throat. "Hey. It means nothing if you can't knock down the shot. Right? That's what we used to say to each other." Lucas said, his gaze shifting to the hoop. Nathan looked over at him, nodding his head slowly. "I make this shot... You let go of the pain you're feeling right now. I know it hurts, little brother. I know it does, but the best thing to do is to stay around people who love and support. Not come hide in some old gym and yell at the wall." Lucas said softly. "And if you don't make it?" Nathan asked with a scratchy voice. "Then you can punch me every time you're feeling upset. Anywhere. Just keep in mind that I'm trying to have another kid." Lucas said, chuckling quietly. Nathan looked up at the hoop, before looking at Lucas. "Deal." He said softly, letting out a deep breath. Lucas sucked in a deep breath, looking up at the old hoop. He shot the ball slowly, watching it sail into the hoop. He looked over at Nathan, "A deal is a deal, little brother." He said quietly. Nathan nodded his head slowly, picking up the basketball. "You probably think it's stupid for me to be this upset. All of you. Haley lost her mom, Peyton lost her mom, you lost Keith... I wasn't even this upset when Dan died..." He trailed off. Lucas shook his head, "Nathan, your pain isn't any less important than ours. Whitey was a key figure in your life. He helped shape you into the guy you are. Don't ever forget that. I don't give a shit if it was your dog that died, which by the way... Sawyer is begging us for a dog already, your pain is important to us. All of us." Lucas added, walking over and smacking Nathan on the back of the head. "Just stop acting like you're fine, when we all know you aren't. Lean on us. We're all affected by this, Nate. We all know that it's hard to lose someone you care about. And whether you would admit it to his face or not, you cared a lot about Whitey." He said, moving as if he was going to hug Nathan, before knocking the ball out of his hands, hurrying away with it. Nathan let out a deep breath, before hurrying over to Lucas. "Thanks big brother." He said softly. "Hey, don't mention it." Lucas smiled, shrugging. "For that, I'll let you take the first shot. No guarding, nothing. Go for it." Nathan chuckled, taking a step back. Lucas raised one eyebrow, "Really? That's not like you." He chuckled. "You're right." Nathan smirked, stealing the ball from him and shooting it into the basket, watching it bounce off the rim and back to the ground. "Dammit." He groaned, shaking his head. "That's what you get, Nate. That's what you get." Lucas laughed, hurrying over and grabbing the ball. Nathan smirked, "Come at me, old man. I can take you."


	31. Chapter 31

**I do not own One Tree Hill**

 **Okay, so I didn't get a lot of reviews last chapter which isn't a huge deal because I write this story for myself too. Let me know if there's anything I can work on! I would appreciate it.**

 **Chapter 31**

"Nathan, help me out a little bit. Please." Haley said, looking at him. "I'm sleeping, Haley." Nathan grumbled. "Yeah, well I'm not packing you anything then." She laughed, smacking his calf. "I don't need any clothes." He replied, sitting up. "Like hell you don't. I'm not staying cooped up in a hotel room this time, Nathan." She said, raising her eyebrows at him. "Okay, but this time it would be different. I wouldn't be sick, I would be sexing you up and getting you pregnant." He shrugged. "Nathan, drop it. Pack." Haley said, shaking her head. "But my back hurts. I need to lay down." Nathan tried, looking at her. Her gaze shifted to him, "Is that true?" She asked him, frowning. He let out a sigh, "No." He grumbled, standing up. "But we're leaving so early." He sighed softly. "Oh, my mistake. You're right. You go to bed, while I stay up and pack your stuff." Haley sighed softly, rolling her eyes. "It's only like eight, baby. I still have..." He trailed off while he did the math, counting on his fingers in the air. "Seven hours. We're leaving at three in the morning." She finished for him, sighing. "Yeah, and the kids are still awake. Megan is still awake. And you know how she cherishes her sleep now." Nathan chuckled. "I'm going to go downstairs, and talk to my family. I don't understand why they're staying here for the whole week, but whatever." He shrugged his shoulders. "Because our house can fit everyone. If you go downstairs, be civil." She said, sighing softly. Nathan stood up, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm always civil. Not my fault she's a bitch." He grumbled. Haley looked up at him, "Be nice, Nathan. Just try." She sighed. "Come downstairs with me. Packing can wait. We can sleep on the plane." He suggested, kissing her forehead. "Yeah, maybe in a little bit." Haley replied, pulling away from him. "Just go downstairs. You would only pack basketball shorts anyways. And it's too cold to wear those. You'll get sick again." She grumbled. Nathan chuckled, "It's not too cold. I can pack myself." He shrugged. "I just have specific things I want you to wear, so go." Haley said, waving him away. "Fine, but I really can do it." He grumbled, heading down the stairs.

Nathan walked into the living room, seeing Nicole working on some homework while Jamie played playstation with Chuck and Jordan. He threw himself back into the wall, sliding down it. "Dad, what are you doing?" Jamie asked quickly, looking over at him. "Sorry, there's such a negative source in this room. My cheerful attitude couldn't handle it so it threw me back." Nathan chuckled. Nicole rolled her eyes, "I can't wait for you to leave. Being around you for more than half a second annoys me." She grumbled. "Being around you for more than half a second annoys me." He mocked her. "Mom! Dad is being annoying!" Jamie yelled out. "Whatever, I'm going to go hang out with Max and Lydia, because I'll miss them and they'll miss me." Nathan shrugged his shoulders, heading back up the stairs to Lydia's room, finding her reading to Max. He sat down on her bed, looking at her and smiling. "Hi Daddy, shouldn't you be packing?" Lydia asked him, shaking her finger at him. "You're your mother's child." Nathan laughed, picking up Max. "I'm going to miss this dog. I'll miss him the most, that's for sure." He teased. Lydia jumped onto the bed, jumping on his back. "Don't say that! You'll miss me the most." She said, smiling at him. "Oh yeah? What about Jamie?" He chuckled, scratching behind Max's ear. "I'm your favorite." Lydia shrugged, hugging him tightly. "Now, now. I don't pick favorites. But since you'll miss me more, I'll bring you back a better present." Nathan chuckled, holding up Max. "Hopefully this dog doesn't get any bigger while I'm gone. Same goes for you, Lydia. Stay small forever." He smiled, glancing over his shoulder at her. Lydia shook her head, "No. I'm going to get big and marry Davis or Jude. That's what Aunt Brooke tells me!" She hummed. "No. You're going to stay small and never get married. That's what I'm telling you. And I'm the boss, not Brooke." Nathan chuckled, standing up. Lydia laughed loudly as she clung to Nathan's back. "Hey! Where'd you go?" He asked, spinning around, setting Max on the bed. Lydia giggled loudly, pressing her face into Nathan's shoulder to quiet herself. He spun around again, looking his head around quickly. "Lydia?" He asked, frowning. Nathan hurried out of their room, into his and Haley's room. "Haley! Have you seen Lydia?" He asked her quickly. "I can't seem to find her anywhere." He chuckled quietly and Lydia laughed. Haley looked over at him, smiling. "Nope, but maybe you should lay down. You're looking a little tired." She laughed. "Oh, good idea." Nathan grinned, sitting down on the bed, beginning to lay back. "No! No! Don't crush me." Lydia said loudly, jumping off his back, standing on the bed. "I was there all along." She giggled. "Oh good, we were worried." Haley said, smiling at her, walking over and hugging her tightly. Lydia hugged her back, smiling brightly. "I'll miss you." She said softly. Haley smiled down at her, "I'll miss you too." She replied, giving her daughter a soft squeeze. "But we won't be gone for that long." She assured her, smiling. "We'll call you, but the time might be different so we'll see." Nathan said, walking around the bed and wrapping his arms around both Lydia and Haley. "My girls." He chuckled, looking down at them. "At least Grandma will be watching you, and you know how she loved to spoil you." He said, shrugging slightly. "Yeah, it's hard to spoil her more than you already do, Nathan." Haley said, kissing his cheek and walking back over to his suitcase. "I like to spoil her, I can't help it." He shrugged, picking up Lydia, throwing her over his shoulder. "It's getting close to bedtime." He said, looking at her. "No, Daddy!" Lydia complained, frowning. "I was talking to Mom. You never have to go to sleep if you don't want." He replied, chuckling quietly. "Haley, I can pack my own stuff." He said, looking over at her. Haley shook her head, "You lost your chance. Now you're stuck with whatever I pack you." She laughed, smiling over at them. "But come downstairs for a little bit and we'll come back up and pack after the kids go to bed." He said, setting Lydia down. Lydia smiled at him, grabbing his hand and pulling him over to Haley. She grabbed her hand, "Come on you two." She said, pulling both of her parents out of the room.

Lydia dragged her parents down to the living room, looking at Jamie, Chuck, and Jordan. "Chuck, go home." She said, giggling. Nathan turned to look at Haley, "It's like Christmas came early. I'm so proud." He laughed, smiling at Lydia. Chuck looked up at them, "Chase is on his way anyways. And he's more fun than you." He grumbled, shrugging. "Except Jordan." He added, looking at her. Nathan and Nicole glanced at each other, raising their eyebrows, before both of their gazes went back to Jordan, who's cheeks turned red. "Chuck." She said softly, shaking her head. Nicole and Nathan looked at each other again, scowling slightly. "Chuck, I think I just heard Chase pull up. Go out and meet him." Nathan said, frowning. Haley chuckled, "Come on, Chuck. I'll wait outside with you." She said, following Chuck outside. "Jordan, no. You can't like that boy." Nicole said, frowning. "He's violent, and hyper. No." She scowled at her younger sister. "Stop it, Nicole." Jordan said, sighing softly. "She's right. You don't want to date Chuck." Nathan added, shrugging. "Chuck is weird!" Lydia said, laughing quietly. Jamie looked or at them, "Guys, take a chill pill." He said, rolling his eyes. "Thanks, Jamie." Jordan said, standing up and walking out of the room. "Look what you did, Nathan. You made her leave." Nicole grumbled. "What I did? You started it." Nathan protested. "Yeah, but she's my sister. I can do whatever the hell I want." She retaliated. "Yeah, well I've known Chuck for almost ten years, I know what that kid is about." He replied. "Guys, knock it off. You're like five year olds." Jamie grumbled out. "Hey!" Lydia frowned. "Whatever. Where's my mom?" Nathan asked, rolling his eyes. "They forgot something at home and went to go get it." Nicole informed him, keeping her focus on the math book in her lap. "Where's Megan?" He asked, looking around. "She wasn't feeling that well so she's laying down." She replied, looking up at him. "Hm." Nathan sighed, looking at her. He sat down next to Jamie on the couch, Lydia sitting down by Nicole, watching her do her homework. Haley walked back into the room, sitting down next to Nathan, sighing softly. Nathan looked at her, standing up and holding out his hand to her. "Can I talk to you for just a second?" He asked, frowning slightly. She raised her eyebrows, grabbing his hand and following him out of the room. "So, Nicole told me that Megan wasn't feeling all that well. Maybe you should go check on her." He said, shrugging. Haley looked up at him, nodding her head slowly. "Sure." She said, kissing him quickly. "I'll be right back." She said softly, walking to Megan's room.

Haley knocked on the door softly, poking her head into the room. "Hey." She said softly. Megan looked at her, wiping off the tears off her cheeks. "Haley! Hey." She said softly, forcing a smile. Haley sat down on the bed slowly, looking at her. "Megan..." She trailed off, frowning. "I'm fine, Haley." Megan said, sighing softly. "Just scared." She said quietly. Haley pulled her into a hug, "It's okay to be scared, Megan. I was scared. It's long, and it's hard." She sent her a small smile. "I know, I'm just worried what my dad will think, and what Grayson will think." Megan said softly. "I was on the phone with him and I almost told him and it scared the hell out of me." She rubbed her eyes, sighing. "It's terrifying, Megan. But if he's a good guy, he'll be there for you." Haley looked at her. "Maybe you should tell Deb. She's been there before." She suggested. Megan let out a deep sigh, nodding her head. "Maybe that's a good idea." She agreed, closing her eyes. "So, Nathan told me you weren't feeling well?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows. "I'm fine, I just wanted to get away from everyone." Megan sighed, looking over at Haley. Haley looked at her for a second, before smiling slightly. "It might be hard right now, Megan. But whether you decide to keep the baby or not, it's real. There is going to be a living, breathing person that is Hal you. And it's special." She smiled, hugging her tightly. "Thank you, Haley. It's going to be weird not having you in the same time zone this next week." Megan chuckled, sighing. "You can call me anytime. I promise I'll answer. No matter what." Haley smiled, standing up. "I'm really glad that Deb married my dad." Megan said softly. Haley looked at her, smiling. "Me too." She said softly, pulling her up to her feet. "Come on. Don't stay in your room alone, it just makes you worry and think more." Haley hummed, pulling her out of the room.

Megan and Haley walked back into the living room, finding that Jordan had returned to the room now. Lydia was talking Nicole's ear off, while Nicole just nodded occasionally, focusing mostly on her homework. Megan looked over at Haley, before looking at her sisters. She sucked in a deep breath, "I'm pregnant. Not Haley." She said, watching as both of their heads snapped to her quickly. She opened her mouth to speak again, before the front door opened and close. "First one to tell dad doesn't wake up tomorrow morning. Everyone keep their mouth shut." Megan said quickly, sitting down next to Lydia on the couch, letting out a sigh of relief. Nicole and Jordan looked at Haley with wide eyes. Lydia had turned to Megan and started to describe the whole entire 'Tangled' movie to her. Haley looked at the Nicole, then Jordan, smiling slightly before sitting down next to her husband. Nathan and Jamie had both kept their gaze locked on the TV, but both of them had wide eyes. The room was dead silent when Deb and William walked into the room, except for Lydia's nonstop talking. "Hey! We're back." Deb said, smiling around the room. "Hey Deb. We were just about to put Lydia to bed." Haley said, standing up, glancing down at Nathan. Nicole and Jordan's gazes were on each other now, almost like they were having a mental conversation, both of had a very surprised look on their faces. "What's with them?" William asked, looking at his two younger daughters. "Oh, you know. Just girls being girls." Nathan said softly, standing up. "You two can sit. We'll go put Lydia to bed then be back." He said quickly. "You know, I think I'm going to go finish this in my room. Jordan, I have something for you. Come with me." Nicole said quickly, hurrying away, Jordan following soon after her. "What's going on?" William raised his eyebrows, frowning. "Don't worry about it, Dad. It's just girl stuff." Megan said, shrugging her shoulders. "Oh. Well, that's where I'll leave the conversation I suppose." He chuckled, sitting down. Nathan picked up Lydia, "Hey Lyds. Say goodnight to Megan. You can finish telling her about the movie tomorrow." He chuckled, glancing at Haley and heading up the stairs. Haley followed after him, sucking in a deep breath.

Nathan set Lydia down inside her room, "Okay. Get your pajamas on then go brush your teeth. I have to talk to Mom really quick." He said, nodding at her. He grabbed Haley's hand, tugging her into their bedroom. "Well that certainly was something." Nathan said, running his fingers through his hair. "I wasn't expecting that. I told her to talk to Deb about it. But it's hard to keep it inside, I guess." Haley shrugged her shoulders. They looked over at the knock on their bedroom door. Nathan pulled it open, finding Nicole and Jordan standing there. He looked around, sighing. "Come in." He said softly, stepping out of the way. "So you two knew?" Nicole asked, scowling. "Why didn't you tell us?" She grumbled. "Because it's not our thing to tell. And, I try to avoid talking to you." Nathan said, shrugging. "So it's true?" Jordan asked, looking at Haley and frowning. "Yeah, it's true. But please... Don't say anything to your father. Megan is going to talk to Deb, I think. But don't tell your dad." Haley said, looking at them and frowning. "He should know though, shouldn't he? It's not like you can fake pregnant forever, Haley." Nicole scowled, shaking her head. "She's trusting you guys not to say anything." Haley said, sighing softly. "How long have you known?" Jordan asked, frowning at them. "Not too long. A few weeks, maybe?" Nathan said, shrugging his shoulders. "What are we going to do?" Jordan asked them, shaking her head. "She hasn't told Grayson yet, so just wait for her to tell him and your dad, then we'll see what happens." Haley said softly, looking over at Nathan. "Fine. We won't tell. But she needs to tell him quick." Nicole sighed, rolling her eyes. "You're right, she does. But it's scary, Nicole." Haley shrugged, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "How scary can it be? I mean..." Nicole shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head. "When you don't know how people are going to react? Or what they'll think? It gets to your head. She needs your support, so don't tell." Haley said, shaking her head. "I already said I wouldn't." Nicole grumbled. "What is she going to do with the baby?" Jordan asked, looking at Nathan and Haley. "We don't know, Jordan. I think she's waiting to see how Grayson reacts." Haley informed her, smiling slightly. "It's going to be hard not to tell your father, but just remember that she needs you guys right now." She added, looking over at Nathan. "Yeah." Nathan said, shrugging slightly. They stood up when Lydia started calling their names. "Just remember that she's your sister and that she's scared." Haley said, following everyone out of the room. Jordan and Nicole headed back down the stairs, while Nathan and Haley walked into Lydia's room. She was laying on her bed, giggling quietly as Max licked all over her face. "I'm going to let him sleep on my bed tonight." Lydia informed her parents, grinning. "Wait a second, what if I want him to sleep in my bed?" Nathan asked, raising his eyebrows. "Too bad, Daddy. I want him to be with me." She shrugged. Haley smiled at them, lifting up the covers so Lydia could climb under them. "He can stay in here." She assured her daughter, winking at her. "We're going to miss you, Lydia." Nathan said, hugging her tightly. "We'll see you soon, okay? And we'll FaceTime you when we can." He smiled, kissing her head. Lydia nodded, hugging Nathan tightly to her. "Okay. Bring me back the Eiffel Tower." She giggled. He grinned, nodding at her, "I'll do my best." He chuckled, giving her a thumbs up. Haley hugged Lydia tightly, "Okay baby. We'll come check on you before we go to bed and before we leave. You better be asleep both times." She said, kissing Lydia's forehead. Lydia nodded, pressing her face into Haley's shoulder for a second, "Bye Mama. I love you." She said quietly. Haley smiled, "I love you too, Lydia. Sweet dreams." She said softly, kissing her forehead once again and pulling away, turning off the lights. "Goodnight." Nathan said, kissing her head quickly and following Haley out of the room. "I hate leaving them." He chuckled, wrapping his arm around Haley's shoulders. "Yeah." She sighed, leaning against him for a second. "Come on. We left Jamie in the awkward silence." Haley laughed, grabbing his shirt and tugging him down the stairs.

Nathan and Haley were on the plane by 3:30 in the morning. Nathan had his head rested against the window, while Haley's head was rested on his shoulder. "I'm tired." He grumbled to her. Haley chuckled quietly, "Not me. It's my favorite thing to drag you out of bed." She smiled at him, resting her hand on his leg. "We have a long flight ahead of us, so try to sleep." She shrugged slightly. "I hate sleeping on airplanes. My ears always pop and it's uncomfortable." Nathan complained, looking at her. Haley chuckled quietly, kissing his cheek. "I'm sorry, baby." She said, smiling at him. Nathan closed his eyes, sucking in a deep breath and leaning back. After a few minutes, the plane was up in the air. He glanced over at his wife, looking around the plane for a second, seeing that most of the people around then were asleep. "Haley." He said softly, nudging her. "Hm?" Haley replied, keeping her eyes closed. "You could meet me in the bathroom and we could join the mile high club. Everyone is asleep." Nathan suggested, shrugging. "We're already part of that club, Nathan." She said, lifting her head up and looking at him. "We could attend one of the meetings then." He chuckled, winking at her. "You do realize that we are in our thirties, right?" Haley responded, shaking her head. "Oh come on, and that means we can't have fun anymore? We got married when we were 16, and had a kid by the time we were 18. We have to space out all the fun we would of had for the rest of our lives." Nathan said, nudging her softly. Haley sighed softly, checking the time, before looking at her husband. "Fine, Nathan. Fine." She said, standing up. "But you better meet me in there." She said, hurrying away.

After a little while, they had returned to their seats. "Get that smirk off your face, Scott." Haley laughed, elbowing him softly. "If this is a preview of our week, then I think it's going to be an excellent once." Nathan said, smirking slightly. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head and laughing. "Oh by the way, now seems like the right time to tell you since we're up in the air. I took your birth control out of your bag." He shrugged, leaning back into his seat. Haley sighed softly, "I guess it's a good thing that condoms are available everywhere then." She said, shrugging slightly, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. "Dammit." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head. "I took it out of your bag, but I put it in my bag. I thought that would work." He sighed, looking down at her. Haley chuckled quietly, grabbing onto his hand, looking up at him. "Nathan, I really don't want to spend our whole trip talking about this." She said, kissing his cheek softly. "Fine, fine. Not another word about it." Nathan replied, letting out a small sigh. "Did you actually think that would work?" Haley chuckled, squeezing his hand. "I don't know. I figured getting you off the pill for a week would be enough time if it did work. Not trying to brag or anything, but I'm two for two on getting you pregnant while you're on birth control." He smirked, brushing imaginary dust off his shoulder. "Nathan, Jamie and Lydia are 8 years apart. So maybe you're not as crazy fertile as you think you are. I'm not getting pregnant right now, and you're not going to talk me into it. Okay?" Haley said, grabbing his cheek and making him look at her. Nathan frowned, "Understood." He said softly, kissing her forehead.

The two of them went straight to the hotel after they had landed in Paris, neither of them had gotten much sleep on the plane and they were both very tired. "Woah, Haley. I'm starting to not feel all that well." Nathan said, pretending to lose his balance a bit, gripping onto the counter. Haley looked at him, "Are you serious?" She asked, walking over and resting her hand on his forehead. "You don't feel like you have a fever." She said, raising her eyebrows. "Maybe you're allergic to something in the air, I don't know. But lay down." Haley said, pointing to the bed. He chuckled, kissing her head. "I feel fine. I'm just messing with you." He said, smiling at her. "Good. Because I really didn't want to stay in here and take care of you. But just so you know, I was willing to." She smiled, kissing him quickly. "What a nice motherly trait." Nathan said, shrugging his shoulder. Haley rolled her eyes, pushing on his chest softly. "I'm going to go lay down anyways. I'm exhausted. You wouldn't let me sleep on the plane." She laughed, kissing him again. "It's hard to sleep sitting up, Hales." He shrugged, following her over to the bed. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted Deb that they had made it there safely, before laying down in the center of the bed, stretching out. Haley chuckled quietly, leaning down and kissing him softly. "I love you, Nathan. This room is beautiful. Paris is beautiful." She smiled, pushing him over a little bit and laying down next to him, resting her head on his chest. "You deserve the world, Haley James. I'm just trying to give it to you the best I can." He replied, closing his eyes.

"You're the best husband ever. Even after fifteen years, it's still true." She smiled at him, hugging him close to her. "Well behind every good man is an even better woman that taught him to be that way." Nathan replied, chuckling quietly. Haley lifted up her head, kissing him briefly. "I would totally rock your world right now, but I think one of us would fall asleep." She hummed, resting her head on his chest again. "I'm already about there, if you would stop talking." He chuckled, smiling. "Now you know how I felt on the plane." Haley replied, closing her eyes and falling asleep.


	32. Chapter 32

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 32**

"Hey handsome." Haley whispered, the back of her hand over Nathan's cheek. Nathan blinked his eyes open, looking up at her and yawning quietly. "Hey." He said softly, looking up at her. "Well damn." He chuckled, "You look nice." He smiled. "I look like I spent most of the day on an airplane." He said, standing up slowly and stretching. "Yeah, I've been awake for about an hour." She replied, looking at him. "Well, come on. Get ready." She clapped her hands, grinning slightly. "I thought we could just stay in. The city of love also includes our hotel room." Nathan said, smirking slightly. Haley chuckled, wrapping her arms around him. "Whatever, Nathan. Just get ready. We have no responsibilities, and a whole week for just us. It's been awhile since that's happened. So come on." She said, kissing him softly. "Okay, okay. We've been here before, you know?" He chuckled, holding her close to him. "Who cares? We went to the Eiffel Tower for like five minutes and you threw up in three different trash cans." Haley shrugged. "Valid point. But you can see it from out hotel room. We could tell people we had sex by the Eiffel Tower." Nathan chuckled. She rolled her eyes, "You're killing me, Nathan. Slowly but surely. Go get ready." She laughed, kissing him softly. He nodded his head, "Okay, let's see what the damage is with the clothes you packed. I heard that once you let your woman dress you, that you lose all control." He chuckled. "Nathan, I tell you what to wear all the time. You ask me. I didn't pack anything that I thought you would hate. Just be grateful I packed for you." Haley laughed, kissing him again. Nathan nodded, grabbing his suitcase, "I was just joking, baby. We're a team." He hummed, walking into the bathroom.

"What do you want to do first?" Nathan asked her, sitting down on the bed. Haley walked over to him, resting her hands on his shoulders, smoothing her hands over his shirt. "You look good. Maybe we should just stay in." She said, winking down at him. "That's not fair, Haley James. Don't mess with my head like that." He chuckled, laying back and pulling her down on top of him. Haley laughed, smiling down at him, "Hey there, buddy. You mess with my head all the time. Not even on purpose. You just look really good in that shirt." She said softly, kissing him quickly. Nathan wrapped his arms around her waist, holding onto her tightly. "You look really hot in that dress, but you look even better out of that dress." He mumbled against her lips. She pulled her lips away from him, standing up slowly. "Looks like you'll just have to wait until after we eat to find out." Haley smirked, winking at him. Nathan scowled, standing up. "This is my vacation too." He pouted, wrapping his arms around her. She chuckled quietly, unbuttoning one of the buttons on his shirt. "Of course it is, Nathan. I'm just hungry and I want to see the city." She said softly, kissing his chin. Nathan sighed softly, picking up his jacket and pulling it on. "It's cold out there, Haley. Wouldn't want you getting sick." He chuckled, picking up her jacket and handing it to her. "Yeah, this trip I'll get sick and you'll have to take care of me." Haley laughed, looping her arm through Nathan's. "Now come on. I saw a restaurant not too far from here. Think you can handle the walk?" She said, smiling up at him. "If I can't then you'll just have to carry me." Nathan laughed, kissing her head. "Sounds fair enough." Haley hummed, pulling him out of the room.

"And then there was this one time where I must of said something that he didn't like... I don't even remember what it was to be honest. Whitey just picked up his drink and he threw it right at my head. Thankfully, I have fast enough reflexes that I held up my arms to block it, but there was whiskey all over me." Nathan laughed, shaking his head. "He just threw it right at you?" Haley laughed, smiling at him. "Yeah, and it probably would of hurt like hell." He replied, shaking his head. "I wish I could remember what I said." He chuckled, reaching across the table and grabbing onto her hand, smiling. "Yeah, me too. I didn't know that we were allowed to throw stuff at you when you say stupid things." Haley teased him, squeezing his hand softly. "Hey, only when you're old." He laughed, rolling his eyes. "I mean, you'll never be old, Hales. Young forever." He smirked at her, kissing her hand softly. "Yeah, whatever." She laughed, shaking her head. "You know what's crazy? I've been married to you almost half of my life." Nathan said, looking down at her hand, gently brushing his thumb over the ring on her finger. "I think back to when we were sixteen, and I have no regrets. But I also think that we were insane." Haley laughed, smiling at him. "Insanely in love." He added, winking at her. "Cheesy." She hummed, rolling her eyes. "No, but really. Jamie is three years away from that." She said, shaking her head. "Don't say things like that to me." Nathan laughed, shaking his head quickly. "It's a weird thought. But it won't happen." Haley assured him, smiling slightly. "For one, he won't get emancipated from us. At least, I hope not." She frowned, looking at Nathan. "Nope, that won't happen. We should stop talking about this." Nathan chuckled, kissing her knuckles softly. He set her hand back down on the table, smiling over at her. "You look beautiful tonight." He said softly, winking at her. "You don't look so bad yourself." Haley smiled at him, returning his wink. "Why thank you. My wife dresses me." He chuckled, gesturing at his shirt. "Mm... Good taste." She laughed, nodding at him. "Yeah, but my side chick picked this out." Nathan teased her. Haley rolled her eyes, kicking him softly under the table. "Did I hear you say something about wanting to sleep on the couch tonight?" She laughed, raising her eyebrows. "I don't think so, no." He said, grabbing her hand again. "Maybe I should get you some more wine so you forget this conversation happened." He laughed, shaking his head. "Usually wine helps." Haley replied, squeezing his hand softly. He smiled at her, before they settled into a comfortable silence while they finished dinner.

Nathan and Haley walked down the sidewalk slowly, back towards the hotel. "Are you cold?" He asked her softly and she pressed herself into his side. "A little bit." Haley replied, looking at him as he stopped walking. Nathan shed his own jacket quickly, wrapping it around her shoulders. "Nathan, it's fine, we're almost there." She said, removing it and handing it back to him. "Don't do that, Hales. I'm not cold." He chuckled, wrapping it around her again, kissing her head. Haley looked up at him for a second, kissing him softly. "You're amazing." She said softly, tightening his jacket around her, sucking in a deep breath. "I try." He chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. "Are you sure you don't need it though? I don't want you to get sick or anything." She asked, looking over at him. "Hales, you're my wife. Let me do nice things for you." He laughed, smiling down at her. Haley sighed, shaking her head and leaning against him. "What do you want for Christmas? And before you say it, I'm not having another baby right now." She asked him softly. "I don't know, Hales." Nathan chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "You're so hard to shop for, Nathan. The kids have giant lists, but you just say things like "another year of happiness with my family" and that's not helpful to me." She laughed, kissing his cheek. "And, it doesn't help that if you see something you want, you just buy it." Haley shook her head. "I want you to do a twelve days of Christmas with different lingerie." Nathan smirked at her, winking. "I'll take that into consideration, but I need more than just that." She chuckled, snuggling into his warmth. He chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "I don't know, Haley. I have everything I could of ever wanted." He said softly, pulling her into the lobby and onto the elevator. "You're killing me, Nathan." She sighed, kissing his cheek. "If I think of anything, I'll let you know." He said to her, smiling. "I'd appreciate it." She chuckled, resting her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. "So... I have something that I want to talk to you about." Haley began, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt. "Uh oh. This doesn't sound good." Nathan sighed, watching as the elevator doors opened and some more people got on. After a moment of silence, one of them spoke up. "Woah! Hey. I know who you two are." The guy said quickly, looking at them with wide eyes. He turned to the girl that was with him, and began talking to her very quickly in French. He turned back to them, "Haley James Scott. My sister and I are big fans." He said quickly, gesturing to the girl behind him. "Aw, thank you so much." Haley said, smiling slightly. "I appreciate it." She nodded her head. "What are your names?" She asked them, glancing over at Nathan. "My name is Victor." He said, nodding at his sister. "I'm Isabella." She said softly, smiling at them. "It's very nice to meet you both." Haley smiled, handing Nathan his jacket back. "We are very glad to see you two together." Isabella said, nodding at them. "You had some people worried." She smiled, shrugging. "No, no. All is well with us. Thank you for the concern." Haley smiled, looking over at Nathan. "Do you mind if we take a picture with you two?" Victor asked, looking over at them. "Of course not. Right, honey?" Haley asked, smiling at Nathan. Nathan smiled at her, "Yeah, sure. If you want I can just take it." He said, shrugging. "No, no. We want you in the picture." Isabella said, smiling at them. "We watch the show about you guys, and have read the book. It's so cool to meet you." She shrugged. "You're very tall though." She chuckled. Nathan nodded his head, laughing. "Thanks." He said softly, smiling at them. The two of them posed for a picture quickly as the elevator doors opened again. "This is us. I hope we see you again!" Haley said, smiling at them and waving. Nathan nodded at them, grabbing onto Haley's hand and heading out of the elevator.

Nathan looked at her, raising his eyebrows as they walked into their room. "So? What did you need to tell me?" He asked, frowning slightly. "It's nothing bad, Nathan. Don't look so concerned." Haley chuckled, brushing her fingers through his hair. "What is it?" He asked, looking down at her. "It's not bad, but I don't think you'll like it. So you have to promise me you won't freak out." She smiled at him, kissing him softly. "Hales." He said, sighing. "Fine, I won't freak out." He said softly. "Trevor and I are going to record a Christmas song together. If it goes well, we might do a few more. It's kind of late in the season to do it, but what the hell." Haley chuckled, shrugging. Nathan scowled at her, "You're kidding?" He sighed, shaking his head. "Nathan, don't over react, please." She said softly, sliding her jacket off. "Haley, you'd sound way better without him." He grumbled, sighing. "Nathan, he's a good singer. I wish I would of known that when we were in high school." She said softly, pulling off her heels. "Why, so you could of left on tour with him instead of Chris Keller?" Nathan snapped, before sucking in a deep breath. "Woah, woah, woah. Nathan." Haley scowled, poking his chest. "Sorry." He grumbled, "I don't know why I said that." He sighed, setting his jacket down on the couch. "Yeah, I don't know why you said that either." She frowned at him, shaking her head. "Nathan, you're really making a big deal out of this." She said to him, sighing softly. "Am I, though?" He asked her, shaking his head. "Yes, you are. Why does he bother you so much?" Haley asked, scowling. "Because he wants you, Haley. He's probably always wanted you." Nathan shook his head. "Oh, I didn't realize that working with someone meant you were in love with them." She said, crossing her arms. "Don't do that, Haley." He muttered, closing his eyes. "I'm also performing the week before Christmas in New York and he's going to sing that song with me, then there will be an interview after and I'm not sure if he'll take part in that or not." Haley said softly, looking up at her husband. "Why are you doing this to me?" Nathan frowned at her, shaking his head. "Doing what, Nathan?" She asked him, scowling. He ignored her question, looking down at her. "What song are you singing?" He asked, sighing. "All I want for Christmas is you." Haley informed him. "Dammit, Haley." He grumbled, breaking their eye contact and sitting down on the end of the bed. "Nathan, come on. You can't seriously think that he's going to try something? And, even if he did you can't think that I would let him?" She said softly, taking his face in her hands. "Why would you choose that song?" He asked her, sighing. "Because it sounds nice as a duet." Haley sighed softly, kissing his forehead. "So does Jingle Bells." Nathan grumbled. "Whatever you say, honey." She said, turning around. "Will you unzip me?" She asked him, glancing over her shoulder at him. He let out a small sigh, reaching up and unzipping her dress quickly. "There." He sighed, scooting up the bed and pulling out his phone, leaning back against the headboard and crossing his legs. "Okay, I know you're upset." Haley frowned, shaking her head. "I'm not upset, Haley. You can do whatever you want. It's your career." Nathan shrugged, looking down at his phone. She sighed, shaking her head and changing into more comfortable clothes. "You didn't even look up when I changed, Nathan. That's how I know that you're upset." She sighed, sitting down next to him. "I'm talking to Jamie." He shrugged, holding up his phone. Haley sighed softly, looking over at him, "Nathan, please." She rested her hand on his bicep, shaking her head. "Haley, it's your career. I just don't trust the guy." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head. Haley decided against responding, not wanting to further the conversation. Instead, she just rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes, slipping his arm underneath his, resting her hand on his chest, playing with the buttons on his shirt.

After a few minutes of silence, Deb had began to FaceTime Nathan. "It's probably Lydia. They just got home from school, I think." Nathan said, glancing at the time. He answered it quickly, waving at his daughter. "Hello beautiful!" He grinned, smiling at her. "Hi Daddy! Hi Mommy!" Lydia said, smiling brightly. "Are you guys having a good time?" She asked. "Not as fun as we would be having if you were here, that's for sure." Haley said, smiling at her. "You can come back and get me!" Lydia suggested, shrugging. "You have school, otherwise we would." Nathan chuckled, winking at her. "Next time." Lydia hummed. "Do you want to see my room?" She asked them. Nathan and Haley looked at each other, chuckling quietly. "Uh, sure. But it better be clean." Haley said, raising her eyebrows. "Oh. Never mind. What time is it there?" She asked, sitting down on her bed. "It's getting close to ten o'clock, so almost bed time for us." Nathan hummed, smiling at her. "How was your day?" He asked her. "It was fun. I ran around and chased boys at recess." Lydia giggled. "Chasing boys? I don't think so, young lady. Not until you're at least thirty." He said, shaking his finger at her. Lydia laughed, shaking her head. "You let me chase Davis and Jude." She shrugged. "That's because they need to be knocked around a little bit." He chuckled, smiling at her. Lydia laughed, nodding her head. "I would punch them in the face but I like Aunt Brooke and don't want her to be upset." She informed him, shrugging. "Smart choice, because then you'd be in trouble." Haley laughed, lifting her head up from Nathan's shoulder for a second. "Jamie gets in fights and he gets in trouble." Lydia informed them, nodding. "Yeah, we're the ones who ground him." Nathan chuckled, nodding at her. "Are you tired?" She asked, looking at them. "No way. Not too tired to talk to you for hours and hours." He said to her, smiling slightly. Lydia's gaze shifted towards the door, "Grandma wants to talk to you two for a second." She said, smiling. Deb took the phone from Lydia a second later, waving at Nathan and Haley. "Hello! Have you guys been having a good time?" She asked them. "Yeah, we've mostly just slept all day though." Nathan said softly, glancing down at Haley. "We just got back from dinner a little while ago." He shrugged. "That's actually what I want to talk to you guys about." Deb began, clearing her throat. "I need a moment of honesty here, Nathan. You too, Haley." She said softly. Nathan and Haley looked at each other, before looking at the camera again. "So, you posted that picture of Haley on Instagram at dinner, and there was a wine glass in front of her." Deb said, frowning slightly. "But let's think for a second. Why would Haley be drinking wine of she was pregnant?" She asked them, raising her eyebrows. "It was mine." Nathan said quickly, shrugging his shoulders. "Nathan." Deb said, sighing softly. "Come on." She shook her head. "I'm not pregnant, Deb. It was a false positive. We just didn't want to disappoint you." Haley said softly, looking over at Nathan. "Yeah, I'm sorry." Nathan said, sighing softly. Deb looked at them for a second, "Okay. Well... I'm sorry on the false positive." She said, sighing softly. "Okay, well. I'll give you back to Lydia." She raised her eyebrows, walking back into Lydia's room.

They talked to Lydia for a few more minutes, before hanging up. Nathan let out a deep breath, picking up the TV remote, "How much do you want to bet that most of these shows are in French?" He grumbled, flicking through the channels until he found one that was playing basketball. Haley looked at him, sighing softly. She nuzzled her face into his shoulder, closing her eyes. She unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt, slipping her hand into his shirt, rubbing his chest lightly. Nathan glanced down at her, closing his eyes for a second. Haley pulled him closer to her, beginning to kiss up the side of his neck, undoing the remainder of the buttons on his shirt. He let out a deep breath, helping Haley get his shirt off of him, tossing it across the room. She leaned over him, beginning to kiss along his chest. Nathan's eyes snapped open at the sound of cheering on the TV. "Holy shit." He said, sitting up straighter, rewinding the television quickly. "Haley! Did you see that? That guy just made a full court shot to win the game in the fourth quarter." He said quickly, scooting to the end of the bed with wide eyes. He replayed it again, his jaw hanging open slightly. Haley raised her eyebrows, looking over at him. "Holy shit. That was amazing." He stood up, moving a little bit closer to the TV, replaying it once more. "Oh man, I need to call Clay. I'm so sorry, but holy shit." Nathan said quickly, picking up his phone off the bed. "I need to show him this." He sat down on the bed again, FaceTiming his friend. Clay picked up after a second, waving at him. "Hey Nate! How's France? Judging by the fact that you're shirtless and in a hotel room, I would guess it's going well." He smirked. "Forget that right now, Clay. Check this out." Nathan said quickly. Haley moved behind Nathan, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Hi Clay." She said, giving Nathan a slightly annoyed glance. "Hi Haley." Clay replied, "How's Paris treating you?" He asked. Nathan shushed him, "Clay. Shut up. Watch this." He turned around the camera, pointing it at the TV. He replayed the shot once more, his eyes still wide with amazement. "Did he just make that?" Clay asked him. "Hell yes he did. Two seconds left. Fourth quarter, down by two. Holy shit." Nathan stood up again, moving closer to the TV. "Imagine how the other team felt. This is a university in France. I don't think it's far from here." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "Let me see it again. But move closer." Clay said, looking at the his phone intently. Nathan replayed it again quickly. "Wow, that's impressive." Clay said, looking up when Quinn walked into the room with Logan, waving at them. "Logan, come look at this." He said quickly. "Hey Logan." Nathan said, waving. "Check out this. Fourth quarter. Down by two. Only two seconds left." He said, rewinding the television once more. "Woah! That was awesome." Logan said, raising his eyebrows. "It's so freaking amazing. That's a one in a million shot he just made." Nathan said, watching it again. "Logan, why don't you go do your homework?" Quinn suggested, frowning at Clay. Clay looked up at her for a second as Logan walked away. "What?" He asked, looking back down at his phone. "I keep replaying it and I'm speechless." Nathan said, "Can you have Elizabeth call the school tomorrow and tell them I want to meet with this guy? I was only watching for a little bit, but he had this one sweet fast break and he literally dunked over a guy." He said quickly. "You have to sign him." Clay said quickly. "Clay." Quinn scowled, shaking her head. "What, Quinn? You're giving me disapproving looks and using your mother voice on me and I don't know why." He frowned at her. "Don't encourage him. This is his and Haley's romantic get away. Haley, I apologize for my husband." Quinn called out. "Haley is fine with it, Quinn." Nathan said quickly, glancing over at his wife. Haley raised her eyebrows, sighing softly. "I'll have her call. But with the time difference, it might get messy. I'll have we call at 8:30, and schedule a meeting for about 6:30 your time. So when it's 8:30 here it will be about 2:30 there. I'll let you know, okay? But that was awesome. Let me see it just one more one before I go." Clay said. Nathan replayed it one last time, before Quinn grabbed Clay's phone and hung up. "Wow." Nathan let out a deep breath, staring at the TV. He rewound it again, holding up his phone and taking a video of the shot. "That's amazing." He said quickly, looking over at Haley. "Did you see that, Hales? Wow." Nathan let out a deep breath, sitting down on the end of the bed, dropping the remote and his phone next to him. "I can't wait to show Jamie and Lucas." He said, picking up the remote again, replaying it one last time before Haley grabbed it from his hands, turning it off quickly. "Tell me this wasn't just an excuse for you to come to France and scout." She said, sighing. "Haley, it's not. I promise. But... You watched it. I have to get this guy." Nathan said quickly, looking at her. Haley sucked in a deep breath, standing up and picking up his shirt off the ground. She put it on the hanger, hanging it up in the closet. "Please, Haley." Nathan begged her, pulling her down onto his lap. "This better be the only time, Nathan. Please. This hasn't gone totally as imagined already." She said, standing up slowly. "What? Why not?" He asked her, frowning. "Well for one, we were arguing earlier, and then my whole 'will you unzip me?' Didn't go as planned, and now I'm about to go to bed." She sighed. Nathan stood up, shaking his head. "Come on, Hales. I'm sorry." He frowned, resting his hands on he hips. "I can make it up to you though." He said, smirking slightly, leaning down and sucking on her neck softly, pulling her closer to him. Haley held still for a second, before pushing him back down onto the bed, falling down with him.


	33. Chapter 33

I do not own One Tree Hill.

This is basically Naley fluff

Chapter 33

Nathan looked over at Haley once he had woken up in the morning. After 15 years, she still took his breath away. She was the most beautiful woman in the world. Any part of her that had aged, aged well. It was still the most amazing feeling to wake up to her. He grinned at her, kissing her softly.

Haley blinked her eyes open in surprise, before letting them flutter shut, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"Good morning." He said softly, kissing her again.

"Mm, nice way to wake up." Haley laughed, resting her head on his chest, hugging him tightly to her.

"I was just watching you. And damn... You're so beautiful." Nathan said softly, glancing down at her.

She grinned at him, kissing his chest softly, "I love you." She said softly. He gently brushed his fingers up and down her arm, humming quietly.

After a moment of silence, he looked down at her. "I'm going to let Elizabeth go." Nathan said softly. "I talked to Clay about it, and he agrees that it's the right thing to do." He held her tighter to him, kissing her forehead.

"You are?" Haley asked, lifting up her head.

He nodded, "Yeah. But I'm going to wait until after Christmas, maybe until the New Year. I certainly don't want to fire her before Christmas, that just seems a little cruel." He said softly.

Haley rested her hand on his cheek, kissing him softly. "That makes sense. What made you decide to do this?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Because you were right. I was just ignoring her little remarks and touches. But after Whitey died, I was thinking about you, and how you've never given up on me. There have been times when we've lost our way a little bit, but you've always believed in me. You've always been there to support me when I'm at my worst, Haley. I don't want to do anything to mess that up. Ever." Nathan said quietly, sitting up a bit and looking down at her. "You are everything to me. I don't want to give you a reason to look at me differently." He shrugged.

Haley brushed her fingers over the stubble on his face, kissing his jaw, "I love you, Nathan. So much." She whispered, smiling up at him.

"I love you too, Haley." Nathan said, smiling down at her, kissing her forehead.

She rested her head on his shoulder, gently tracing shapes into his chest.

"What do you want to do today?" He asked her quietly, closing his eyes.

"First, we're going to take a shower." She said, kissing his cheek.

"I like that." Nathan chuckled, pulling her closer to him.

"I thought you might." Haley replied, nuzzling her nose against his jaw. "And then I guess we'll just go from there." She hummed, grabbing onto his arm, tugging him out of bed and into the bathroom.

Haley looked up at the Eiffel Tower, laughing quietly.

"What?" Nathan asked her, raising his eyebrows and looking down at her.

"Oh nothing, I'm just thinking about how miserable you were the last time we were here." She chuckled, rubbing his bicep softly.

"You're funny." He grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Oh, I'm just kidding. I was so worried about you." Haley laughed, resting her hand on his back.

"I felt like hell." Nathan said, shaking his head.

"I know, trust me. I was with you the whole time." She hummed softly, "I'm glad that I can do this now though." She smirked, pulling him down and kissing him softly.

He chuckled quietly, holding her close to him. "This trip is definitely more fun than the last." Nathan laughed, looking down at her.

Haley nodded in agreement, pressing one more quick kiss to his lips, before looking up at the Eiffel Tower again.

"Lydia wanted me to bring the whole Eiffel Tower to her." He laughed, draping his arm around her shoulders.

"Well, you better clear room in your suitcase then." She smiled, shaking her head.

"I was going to try to fit it, but it seems a little impossible. So I think we'll just have to settle with a smaller version." He said softly, pulling her into his side.

Haley nodded her head, kissing his cheek. "Do you want to go up?" She asked him.

Nathan looked up at the tower, shrugging slightly.

"Come on, I'll protect you." She teased him, kissing him quickly.

"Well, I won't turn down free protection. Lead the way, Mrs. Scott." He chuckled, following her towards the stairs.

Eventually, they reached to top, looking across all of Paris.

"We should have just taken the lift." Nathan chuckled, looking down at his wife.

"Come on, it's part of the experience. It was amazing." Haley hummed, smiling at him.

"I forgot how nerdy you were until you were telling me all these random facts on the way up." He teased her, moving so he was blocking her from the slight wind.

"Oh whatever. It was interesting." She laughed, shaking her head.

"It's interesting to watch you. Are you ever going to stop being my tutor?" He smirked, winking at her.

"Probably not. We'll see." Haley replied, smiling up at him.

"You remember stuff so well. I can't even remember how to do any of the stuff Jamie does on his homework. Lydia's I can handle though." Nathan laughed, pulling her into a tight hug when he saw her shiver.

She smiled slightly, pressing her face into his shoulder, "Mm. I appreciate this." Haley hummed softly, closing her eyes. "I keep you around because you're so warm all the time. It helps that you smell nice too." She laughed, holding onto him tightly.

"That's my rainstorm body spray." He joked, looking down at her and kissing her head.

"It's going to be a stormy night." She hummed, rolling her eyes and pinching his sides.

"I hate those. Every once and awhile someone will play them just to mess with me." Nathan laughed, shaking his head. "When we're out scouting, Clay will sometimes come into my room and play that to wake me up." He grumbled, looking down at her.

"I think you look great in them." Haley shrugged, turning back to look across Paris.

He rubbed his hands up and down her arms to warm her up, chuckling quietly. "I felt like such a dork." He told her, shaking his head.

"You felt like a dork? Nathan, you, Skillz, and Mouth were strippers in high school." She reminded him, laughing.

"Hey, for like one day. And I did that for you." Nathan laughed, shrugging his shoulders.

"It's still funny to think about. Do you still know the dance?" Haley asked him, looking at him again.

"I doubt it. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you." He kissed her forehead, smiling slightly.

"Besides marrying you, renewing our vows, and our kids' births... That is one of the best days of my life." Haley laughed, nudging him slightly.

"Yeah, well one of the best days of life was when you and your sisters got into a fight and fell into the pool." He replied, chuckling quietly.

"Yeah, not our best moment." She shook her head, laughing quietly.

"Is Taylor still dating Chris?" Nathan asked, glancing down at her.

"I think so. All thanks to you, matchmaker." Haley laughed, leaning against him.

"That's what they call me." He chuckled, resting his chin on top of her head.

She laughed quietly, rolling her eyes. "Oh is it?" She hummed, holding onto him tightly.

"It is." Nathan replied, kissing her head softly.

"Want to head back down?" Haley asked him, reluctantly parting from his embrace, holding her hand out to him.

"Sure." He said, grabbing onto her hand. "Stairs or lift?" He asked, smiling at her.

"Stairs. I'm not done telling you all the information I know yet." She laughed.

"Such small hands, but such a giant brain." He chuckled, following her towards the stairs.

xxxx

"So you've been quiet." Haley said once they were at dinner that night, leaning forward a bit.

"Have I? I'm sorry." Nathan asked, sending her a small smile.

"You're not feeling sick, are you?" She chuckled, poking his leg with her foot.

"No, no. I'm fine. Just lost in thought, I suppose." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Where's your head at?" Haley asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"I don't know. I'm just thinking about you, and our family." He said softly.

"What about us?" She asked him, grabbing his hand softly.

"Just how blessed I am that my life turned out so perfectly." He kissed her hand softly, closing his eyes.

"Oh yeah?" She smiled at him, brushing her foot up his leg. "You played a big role in making it perfect, Nathan." Haley said softly to him, nodding her head.

"Maybe, but you and the kids have made everything perfect for me. Even when things go wrong, I know that I'll be okay as long as I have you." He whispered, kissing her knuckles again, before setting her hand down on the table.

She looked at him for a second, smiling slightly. "You make my life better too, Nathan. You're so good in a crisis, and you always make me feel so safe." She said softly, nodding at him.

Nathan nodded in reply, leaning forward a bit, "I'm also thinking about how hot you look in that dress." He chuckled, winking at her.

Haley blushed slightly, rolling her eyes and smiling at him.

"You're so stunning." He hummed, nodding at her.

"Thank you." She said softly.

"That dress would look even better on our hotel room floor." He whispered to her, grabbing her hand once again, gently brushing his thumb over the back of it.

"Mm, too bad I'm in the mood for dessert." Haley smirked at him, winking.

"So am I, but I don't think we're talking the same kind of dessert." Nathan replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Order whatever you want to go." He said, nodding at her.

"Pushy." She chuckled, shaking her head, giving Nathan's hand a soft squeeze. He watched as she ordered her dessert, and she most certainly did not add to go at the end of her order.

"I'll just share with her, thanks." He said, glancing up at the waiter.

Haley looked at him, "What makes you think I want to share with you?" She asked him, chuckling quietly.

"Because I want to get out of here as quickly as possible, and I think you do too. You're just being a tease." Nathan said, scooting his chair forward a bit.

"I'm a little caught off guard because you had a very sudden mood change." She said, raising her eyebrows.

He shook his head, "If you knew how amazing you look right now, then it wouldn't seem sudden." He said, kissing her knuckles.

Haley smiled at him, chuckling quietly. "Always a charmer." She said, shrugging slightly. "We're not here very often, Nathan. We can have sex anywhere." She reminded him.

"Yeah, but you can't scream out my name anywhere." He whispered huskily, winking at her.

"I'm immune to you." Haley reminded him.

"I don't think you are." Nathan said, smirking at her, his gaze meeting hers.

She broke eye contact first, sucking in a deep breath. "Yes I am." She said softly, looking out the window they were seated next to.

Eventually, the waiter came back and set the crème brûlée down in front of her, nodding his head.

Nathan sat up a bit straighter, "Uh, can I get the check please?" He asked him quickly.

The waiter nodded his head, before hurrying away.

"Mm, Nathan. This is so good." Haley groaned out, looking at him and smirking.

Nathan watched as she licked her lips, taking her own sweet time in eating. "Haley." He grumbled, shaking his head.

"Hm?" She asked, gently biting down on her bottom lip.

"You're killing me." He mumbled, grabbing her hand again.

"Mm. Damn this is so good." She chuckled quietly.

"You're enjoying this too much." Nathan sighed, shaking his gaze moved over once the waiter brought over the bill, quickly paying for it.

"Let's go." He said, nodding at Haley.

"Wait, wait. I'm not done get." Haley said, chuckling quietly.

"Haley." He said, frowning at her.

She looked at him for a second, shaking her head and standing up. "This better be better than that." She teased him, gesturing at her dessert.

"Oh, it always is." Nathan smirked, pulling her out the door.

xxxx

The cab ride back to their hotel was a long one. Haley had just talked to the driver, occasionally smacking at Nathan's hands when he got a little bit too touchy feely. Before she even had the chance to say goodbye, Nathan had paid him and pulled her out of the car.

"Nathan, you're acting like I've deprived you of sex for a whole year or something." Haley chuckled, shaking her head and following him into the elevator.

He pushed the close door button quickly, before back her up into the corner. "You're just so sexy." He mumbled, kissing her neck softly. "We need to take more advantage of our alone fine." He chuckled against her skin, pulling her closer to him.

She closed her eyes, tilting her head slightly. She nudged him away from her neck, pulling him into a deep kiss.

Nathan's arms wrapped tightly around her waist, his tongue forcing it's way into her mouth.

Haley chuckled quietly, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling his face down so he was a bit easier to access.

They jumped away from each other when the elevator doors opened, both of them breathing heavily.

An older woman walked on, looking at Nathan and Haley, sending them a small smile. Nathan and Haley looked at each other, eyes wide.

Haley wiped off around her mouth, nodding at Nathan and gesturing around his mouth.

Nathan quickly wiped Haley's lipstick off his mouth, sighing softly.

"I would be all over him too, if my husband looked like that." The woman said, winking at Haley.

Nathan chuckled quietly, smirking over at Haley and shrugging. Haley smiled politely, nodding her head and sighing.

After an awkward minute, the doors opened again.

"This is us. Thank you." Nathan said, smirking slightly and waving at her. He grabbed onto Haley's hand, tugging her out with him.

"Oh man, that was embarrassing." Haley chuckled, walking into the room and shutting the door.

"It wasn't that bad." He said, laughing quietly.

"We were acting like horny teenagers." She shrugged her shoulders, wrapping his arms around his neck.

"Eh, who cares?" Nathan asked, lifting her up, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Fair enough." She laughed, kissing him quickly.

A little while later, Nathan laid face down with his arms folded under his chin while

Haley sat next to him, massaging his back. "What are you thinking about?" She asked him, leaning down and kissing his shoulder blade.

"How much of a shame it is that we put clothes back on." He replied, chuckling quietly.

"On the bright side, your shirt is still gone." She teased him, shrugging.

"No fair." He laughed, rolling his eyes.

"So you never told me how your meeting with that basketball player went." Haley said, kneading her hands into his back.

"Because after fifteen years I know that you don't care that much about basketball." Nathan chuckled, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"I like watching you play. And I like when you have a successful career." Haley laughed, smiling down at him.

"It went pretty well, I think. He told me that he would get back to me." He said, shrugging.

"That sounds like a good sign. I'm sure he'll call you. I don't know how anyone can say no to that handsome face." She said softly, running her fingers through his hair.

"Thank you." He chuckled, closing his eyes.

Haley smoothed her hand over the muscles in his back, "You amaze me, Nathan Scott." She said softly.

Nathan raised his eyebrows, looking up at her. "Oh yeah? Why's that?" He asked her.

"Because look at these muscles." She laughed, squeezing his sides softly. "I'm lucky, let me tell you." She hummed, leaning forward and kissing his head.

Nathan chuckled quietly, rolling his eyes. "I just have to stay better than Lucas." He shrugged his shoulders.

Haley smiled at him, rubbing his biceps softly. "You are. Don't tell him I said that though." She hummed.

"Speaking of Lucas... I kind of have to talk to you about something." He began, looking up at her.

"What's wrong?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"So, I bought him something for Christmas. And it was kind of expensive, and I just wanted to let you know. I'm not going to tell you what it is though." He said, closing his eyes.

Haley looked down at him, resting her hands on his back. "Like... How expensive?" She asked him.

"Well... It's not like it was a million dollars." Nathan chuckled, shrugging. "When you find out what it is, you won't worry about it." He hummed softly.

"Okay, I'm going to trust you on that." She said softly, kissing his back once more, and laying down next to him." You've exhausted me, Nathan." She chuckled, looking at him.

"Mission accomplished then." Nathan replied, winking at her. He rolled over onto his back, pulling her into a tight embrace. "I love you." He said softly.

"I love you too, Nathan." She hummed, kissing his cheek. "Thank you for being an amazing man." Haley said softly, resting her head on his chest.

"Thank you for always being there for me." Nathan said quietly, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath.

She nodded her head, smiling at him. "Let me sleep now. Good work, buddy." Haley laughed, kissing his chest and closing her eyes.


	34. Chapter 34

Haley woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. She glanced at the time, rubbing her eyes.

Nathan lifted his head up, "Who the hell is calling you at three in the morning?" He grumbled, shaking his head.

"It's Megan. It's only like ten there." She said softly, sitting up. "Hello?" She asked quietly.

"Hey Haley, I'm sorry to call, I know it's really early there... I just..." Megan trailed off, before bursting into sobs.

"Woah, woah. It's fine. What's wrong?" Haley asked her quickly, frowning.

"Grayson broke up with me." Megan replied tearfully.

"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry." Haley said softly, nudging Nathan a little bit. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked her quietly.

"I finally told him. In person." Megan said, sighing. "And he said that he needed some time, and left." She cried.

"That doesn't mean it's over, Meg." Haley said softly.

"Then he sent me a huge long text message about how he wasn't ready to be a father, and that he was sorry but he couldn't do this anymore." Megan sobbed, letting out a deep breath.

"He sent you a text message?" Haley asked, scowling slightly.

"Yeah. I didn't reply." Megan said softly.

"Well... Do you want us to come home?" Haley asked her quietly, looking down at Nathan.

"No, no. It's okay. I just needed someone to talk to." Megan informed her, sniffling.

"Hey, I'm always here for you. Calm down, okay? You have us. Stressing isn't good for the baby. Just breathe." Haley said softly, resting her hand on Nathan's chest.

"I don't know what to do, Haley." Megan sobbed, shaking her head.

"Are you sure you don't want us to come back? We will..." Haley suggested.

"No, no. Enjoy your trip. I'm sorry. I think I hear someone coming down the hall, so I better go." Megan said quietly.

"Wait, Megan. Remember that everything is going to be okay. No matter what, you have us and your family." Haley assured her, sighing softly.

"I'll call you tomorrow, alright Haley? Thank you for listening." Megan said softly. "

I'm here any time. No matter what." Haley said softly, before hanging up and letting out a small sigh, setting her phone down.

"That didn't sound good." Nathan mumbled, sitting up and leaning against the headboard.

"Megan told her boyfriend, and he broke up with her." Haley said softly, looking at her husband. "You're kidding?" He scowled, shaking his head.

"I wish I was. What a jackass." She grumbled, shaking her head. "

He did it over a text message too." She informed him, rolling her eyes.

"What the hell kind of move is that?" He grumbled, standing up quickly. "Should we go home?" He asked her.

"She says to stay here." Haley replied.

"What an asshole. Talk about a miniature Dan Scott." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head.

"What happened exactly?" He asked, squeezing his hands into fists.

"She told him, and he said he needed time to think." Haley said softly.

"Which is understandable." Nathan said, nodding.

"She's terrified, Nathan. She needed him." She said softly.

"She probably should have told him sooner." He shrugged, looking at her.

Haley looked at him for a second, letting out a deep breath.

"You're probably right." She said softly.

"He shouldn't be an ass though." He said softly, looking at her. "The fact that she should have told him sooner doesn't excuse his behavior at all." Nathan shook his head.

"What are we going to do?" Haley asked him, standing up. He walked over to her, kissing her forehead.

"We're going to help her, and be there for her." He said softly, smiling down at her.

"I can't believe he broke up with her. Thank you, Nathan. For being a good man." She said softly.

Nathan wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him. "There's no way I would have left you, Haley. Just so you know." He said softly, looking down at her.

Haley let out a deep breath, kissing him softly. "I love you." She whispered, kissing him again.

"I love you too, angel. Now, let's go back to bed and decide if we're going to leave or stay here in the morning." He smiled at her, hugging her tightly, before moving to lay back down.

Haley laid down next to him, looking at him and smiling. She kissed his cheek quickly, "Goodnight, my sweet husband." She hummed, holding onto him tightly./

The two of them had decided to stay for another day, and then cut their trip short and return home.

Haley had fallen asleep on the drive from the airport, which wasn't very long, if they had been heading home.

She woke up when the car stopped, looking up at the totally unfamiliar apartment complex. She checked the time quickly, frowning when she noticed they had been driving for a couple hours.

"Nathan... Where are we?" Haley asked him, looking over at him.

"Stay in the car, I'll be right back." Nathan replied, getting out of the car quickly, running towards the building.

Haley's eyes followed him, a confused expression on her face. She watched as he looked around for a specific door, stopping in front of it once he found it.

Nathan raised his hand to knock, before shaking his head and twisting the door knob, finding it unlocked. He quickly walked in, shutting the door behind him.

"Uh- Can I help you?" An unfamiliar guy asked, looking up from his spot on the couch.

"Yeah... I'm looking for Grayson." Nathan said, looking at him.

Grayson walked into the room, "Hey. Have you seen my- Nathan." He said, looking over at him.

"Hey." Nathan said, scowling slightly.

"Hey buddy, why don't you go into a different room?" Grayson suggested, looking at his room mate, who was already hurrying out.

"What can I help you with?" Grayson asked, looking at Nathan.

Nathan quickly grabbed Grayson by the shirt, shoving him into the wall. "Hey, Asshole." He snapped, pushing him into the wall again. "Pull your head out of your ass, and stop being a dick." He said, shaking his head quickly.

"This isn't really any of your business." Grayson replied. Nathan rolled his eyes,

"That's where you're wrong. I'm making it my business, you little bitch." He said, raising his fist and punching Grayson in the jaw.

"Ah! Dammit!" Grayson said, shaking his head and pushing Nathan.

Nathan didn't budge, just shoved him up against the wall again. "You think that hurts? That's not even close to the pain Megan is going to feel when she delivers your child." He said, rolling his eyes. "Dude, get the hell out of here." Grayson said. "You don't deserve her. You're an idiot." Nathan snapped, shoving him against the wall again, punching him once more. "You either get your shit together, or you stay the hell away from her. Understood?" He growled out, pushing him a bit.

"Understood." Grayson hissed, letting out a breath of relief when Nathan released him.

"You're such an asshole." Nathan said, shoving him a little bit, before walking out quickly, shaking his hand off.

Haley looked at him when he got back into the car, grabbing onto his hand, looking at his already bruising knuckles. "Nathan..." She began, looking up at him. "What did you do?" She asked him quietly.

Nathan looked at her, "I hopefully knocked some sense into that asshole Grayson. Not that it's worth it." He grumbled, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

Haley looked at him for a second, before looking back down at his hand. "What happened?" She asked him cautiously.

"I just went in there and smacked him around a bit. Yelled at him some. Nothing he didn't deserve." He informed her, letting out a deep breath, pulling the car out of the parking lot.

"Was that a good idea?" Haley asked him, raising her eyebrows. "I don't know, Haley. But my step sister called you in the middle of our week away, and now we're at home a few days earlier than planned. He deserves some kind of beating. Maybe he'll realize what a mistake he's made." Nathan shrugged his shoulders.

She looked at his hand again, gently brushing her fingers over his knuckles. "Well... I'm not sure that was the best idea, Nathan. Fighting isn't the answer. That is what we're trying to teach our children, isn't it?" Haley asked him.

"He deserved it. So did the kid Jamie hit, but that's a different story. I can do whatever I want because I'm an adult. And I'm tired." Nathan chuckled, looking over at her.

She looked at him for a second, "You know what? You're right. What kind of jerk breaks up with their pregnant girlfriend over text message? You should have let me go in with you." She said, shaking her head.

"That's the spirit." He said, looking over at her. "I'm not going to work tomorrow, I'll be feeling the jet lag." Nathan said softly, shaking his head.

"I wish I could stay with you, but I'm going to go to the studio. Trevor is here so we decided since we're home early, might as well get it done." Haley said softly.

"I'll come with you. I promise that I'll be good. I promise." He said, smiling at her. "It's around Christmas time, I need to clean up my act so I'm on the nice list." He teased, resting his hand on her leg.

"Yeah, better get working on that. You've only got a little while left." Haley chuckled, shaking her head.

"Good thing I'm on pretty good terms with Santa Claus." Nathan hummed, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah. It's a good thing you just took your wife to Paris too. That helps." She said, leaning over and kissing his cheek.

Nathan glanced at the time, "Okay. We have a few hours to drive, so that should put us home a little bit before Jamie and Lydia get home. Did you tell anyone we were coming home?" He asked, glancing at her.

Haley shook her head, "No. I wasn't really sure what to tell them our excuse was. I guess we can just show up and say we missed our kids." She shrugged.

"Total lie, though. We didn't miss them at all." He laughed, shaking his head.

"Oh yeah, that's why when we were out yesterday you couldn't stop buying things to bring back to them." Haley said, smiling at him.

"Okay, so it's a pretty good excuse." He said, squeezing her leg softly. "You might as well get some more sleep." Nathan suggested, glancing at her.

"If I fall asleep now, I won't be able to sleep tonight." She pointed out, picking up his hand and examining his bruised knuckles again.

"I could stay up all night with you." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh, baby. You need to get out of the sex whenever you want mindset. Lydia probably won't leave your side tonight." Haley laughed, kissing his cheek.

"It was nice while it lasted."Nathan chuckled, letting out a fake, exaggerated sigh. "It's alright. I'll just take you somewhere else next month." He hummed, pulling her hand over and kissing it softly.

Haley laughed, smiling over at him, "Can't wait."

xxxx

Nathan pulled into the garage, shaking Haley, who had fallen asleep. "Come on, Hales. I would love to carry you in, but there's also a lot of luggage." He said softly, smiling at her.

Haley blinked her eyes open, looking around. "I didn't mean to fall asleep." She laughed, rubbing her eyes.

"I know. Let's go." He said softly, getting out of the car. Haley got out slowly, stretching and walking to the back. Nathan was able to just about all the luggage, besides the one extra bag they had bought in Paris because they didn't have enough room for all of the things Nathan had bought their children.

They were met by Megan standing by the door, holding a baseball bat up.

"Holy shit! You two scared me. What are you doing home?" She asked them, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh, you know... We just missed our kids." Haley said, smiling at her.

Nathan nodded his head, "Yeah. Missed them like crazy." He said, looking at Haley.

"You better not have come home for me." Megan said softly.

"Hell no." He chuckled, shaking his head."Of course that's not the reason." He hummed.

Haley shook her head, smiling at Megan. "We missed Jamie and Lydia." She said, hugging Megan tightly. "How're you feeling?" She asked.

Megan shrugged, "I'm doing alright." She said quietly.

"Have you talked to Grayson at all?" Haley asked her, rubbing her back softly.

Megan shook her head, "No. But it's probably better that I don't." She sighed, looking at them. "Do you guys need help taking all that stuff upstairs?" She asked.

Haley shook her head quickly, "Nathan will get it. Right, honey?" She said, smiling at him.

"Yes, dear." Nathan chuckled, reaching down to pick up one of the bags again.

"Woah. Nate what happened to your hand?" Megan asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh, some French dude was staring at Haley's boobs so I took him out." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "Anyways... I'll be taking these upstairs. Let's just leave that bag down here, Haley. The kids will be dying to know what we got them. Why do we give them things so close to Christmas?" He chuckled, rolling his eyes and walking up the stairs.

"So how was Paris?" Megan asked Haley, smiling slightly.

"It was amazing." Haley replied, letting out a deep breath. She pulled Megan into another hug. "You can talk to me, you know that right?" She asked her. Megan nodded, hugging her tightly.

"I know that if I start talking about it, I'll start crying. And I'm so tired of crying." She said softly.

Haley nodded her head, "Where is everyone?" She asked, smiling at her.

"My dad and Deb just went to pick everyone up from school a couple minutes before you got here, so they should be home soon." Megan replied, nodding. She looked down when her phone started to ring, before looking up at Haley. "It's um... It's Grayson." She said quietly.

"Take it. It's fine." Haley reassured her. "You'll always have us here, no matter what." She smiled, squeezing her hand and letting out a deep breath as Megan walked out of the room.

"Nathan came back downstairs a few moments later, looking around. "Where's Megan?" He asked.

"Grayson called." Haley said, looking at him and shrugged.

"Maybe he'll get his shit together." He said, sighing.

Haley smiled at him, kissing his cheek. "I had a great time in Paris, baby. Thank you." She said softly.

Nathan smiled down at her, "Anything for my girl." He said, kissing her forehead.

"It was nice to have some real alone time. No worrying about picking up the kids from school, no worrying about work. Nothing." She smiled up at him, kissing him softly.

Nathan nodded down at her, pulling her close. "Yeah, but it's also nice to be home." He said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Of course, yeah. I can't wait to see the kids." She hummed, hugging him tightly.

Nathan smiled at her, his eyes lighting up when he heard the front door open. "What should we do? Should we scare them?" He asked.

Haley shook her head, "I think just going and hugging them would work best." She said, grabbing his hand, tugging him to meet their kids.

Lydia looked up at her parents with wide eyes, running to meet them. "Mommy! Daddy!" She said, jumping at Nathan.

Nathan caught her quickly, hugging her close to him. "Hey Lydia!" He said, kissing her forehead.

"Uh, Nathan? What are you doing home?" Deb asked, raising her eyebrows.

"We just missed our kids." He informed her.

"Where's Jamie?" Haley asked, looking around.

"Oh, Jamie and Jordan and a couple other kids are having a study group." William said, nodding at them.

"Where's Megan?" He asked.

"She's on the phone with Grayson." Haley said, making eye contact with Nicole.

"Well. I guess this means we'll be going home. I'll go tell her." Nicole said quickly, before rushing up the stairs.

"All my girls have been acting weird the past couple days." William frowned, raising his eyebrows.

"I've noticed that too. You two have been acting kind of weird too." Deb said, looking over at Nathan and Haley.

Nathan and Haley looked at each other, shrugging slightly. "No we haven't." Nathan said slowly, before turning his attention to Lydia. "Come on, Lydia. Let's go play." He said quickly, throwing Lydia over his shoulder.

Haley looked at them, "Wait, wait. I need a hug first." She said.

He set Lydia down, hurrying to Haley and pulling her into a tight hug. She laughed quietly, hugging him for a second before pushing him away.

"Not what a I meant, but still appreciated." She hummed, kneeling down and holding out her arms.

Lydia hugged her tightly, "I missed you." She said.

Haley smiled at her, "I missed you too, Lydia." She hummed. "We brought you presents but we'll have to wait until Jamie gets home." She said, kissing her forehead.

Lydia pouted for a second, before nodding. "Okay, okay. Fine. Come on, Daddy. Let's go." She said, hugging Haley for a few more seconds, before hurrying back to Nathan.

Deb and William looked at Haley, "So... Haley." Deb began.

Haley looked over at them, "Whats up?" She asked, humming softly.

"How was Paris?" Deb asked, smiling slightly.

"It was beautiful. Nathan and I had a good time." Haley replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"And you came home early... Because you missed your children?" Deb raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, that's why. It's hard to be without them." Haley said, nodding slowly.

"Huh. You weren't gone for that long though, and surely you've been away from them longer. So it just seems odd." Deb said, looking at her daughter-in-law.

"There's nothing odd about it, Deb." Haley shrugged. "Anyways, were they good for you?" She asked them.

"Much easier than my children were being." William chuckled, smiling at her.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that." She said, letting out a deep breath.

Deb looked at her again, "Haley. What's going on? Something is off." She said, frowning. "You and Nathan aren't having problems, are you?" She asked.

Haley shook her head quickly, "No, no. Everything is fine, Deb. I don't know why you think something is off." She said, looking at William.

"But everyone has been acting so weird around us. Except for Lydia." William said, frowning slightly.

"I don't see it." Haley replied, shaking her head. "I'm going to go upstairs with Lydia and Nathan." She said softly, nodding at them.

"Haley walked into the room Megan was in, seeing Nicole sitting next to her on the bed. "What happened?" She asked, closing the door and leaning against it.

"He said that he wants to meet with me for lunch tomorrow." Megan said, letting out a deep breath.

"I don't think she should go." Nicole crossed her arms, shaking her head.

"No, no. You should go. Maybe he realized that he made a mistake." Haley said, sitting down on Megan's other side, smiling at her.

"Yeah, but he broke up with her over a text message. He doesn't deserve her, and he didn't really have much going for him anyways. Don't just dismiss his behavior, Haley." Nicole argued.

"I'm not dismissing his behavior, I'm saying that maybe he realized he was making a huge mistake, and that Megan is amazing." Haley said, shrugging.

"Look guys, I think I'm going to meet with him. If it's over, I need the closure. But maybe Haley is right." Megan said softly.

"Sometimes it takes awhile for people to come to their senses. Especially with big news like this." Haley nodded her head.

"Deb and Dad are suspecting something, I think." Nicole said, looking at Megan.

"I think they know something is going on, but they have no idea what it is." She sighed, shaking her head.

"Yeah, I did an awful job at pretending I was pregnant. I'm sorry." Haley added.

"No, no. It's not your fault. I need to tell them. I'm just scared, and I want to talk to Grayson before I do." Megan sighed, resting her head on Nicole's shoulder. "Thank you guys. I don't know what I would do without you." She mumbled, shutting her eyes.

"Don't worry about it. It's a scary thing." Haley said softly, rubbing her back.

"Yeah. Well, I apologize for being a burden." Megan sighed, shaking her head.

"Stop it, you're not. Are you going to be alright at home?" Haley asked, smiling at her.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Megan replied, standing up slowly.

Haley stood up, glancing at Nicole, then at Megan. "It's all worth it in the end, Megan. I promise. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." She said softly, smiling at her.

Megan nodded her head, "Thank you." She said softly, letting out a deep breath.

"Alright. Feel free to stay as long as you need." Haley said, stepping out of the room quickly.

Haley leaned against Lydia's doorway, watching her husband and daughter, smiling to herself at the conversation that was happening across the room.

Nathan was sitting on the ground, while Lydia was standing behind him, putting a crown on his head.

"Prince Nathan." Lydia hummed, grinning at him.

"For the last time Lydia, I'm King Nathan." Nathan responded, shaking his head.

"No, Daddy. You're Prince Nathan." She said, petting Nathan's head.

"Lydia, no. I'm a king. You're a princess." He chuckled, removing the crown from his head and setting it on hers.

Lydia shook her head, putting it back on his head. "I have my own crown." She said, picking up a tiara and putting it on her head. "Oh Prince Nathan, you look lovely today!" She said in a fake British accent, giggling quietly.

"It's King Nathan." He corrected her again.

Lydia scowled at him, stomping her foot. "Prince Nathan!" She shouted, shaking her head.

"I'm King Nathan and Mom is Queen Haley." Nathan said, poking Lydia.

"No. You're Prince Nathan and Princess Haley. I'm Queen Lydia." Lydia said, poking Nathan back.

"Oh yeah? Why do you get to be a queen?" He asked her.

"Because it's my game, Daddy." She replied, tapping her wand on Nathan's shoulder.

"Who's your king?" He asked her, shaking his head.

"I don't need one. I rule my kingdom perfectly and everyone eats marshmallows for breakfast." She shrugged her shoulders.

"What if someone doesn't like marshmallows?" Nathan chuckled.

Lydia looked at him, "Everyone loves marshmallows. If they don't like them then I kick them out of my country." She informed him.

"Yikes. You're kind of mean." He teased her.

She frowned at him, waving her wand. "There. I just cast a spell on you and now you can't talk anymore. Sorry Prince Nathan." She said, smiling.

Nathan raised his eyebrows, "How do I break the spell?" He asked.

Lydia covered his mouth, "Prince Nathan!" She said, shaking her head. "You can't talk anymore. The only way to fix it is true love's kiss." She informed him, before grabbing a marker and a piece of paper, handing it to him. "Write on this if you would like to speak with me, Prince Nathan. Until then, I will make sure everyone in Lydiaville knows the rules. If I hear you talk then I am getting you in trouble because I'm Queen Lydia." Lydia giggled, shrugging. "I'm going to go get Max from outside! He probably wants to play with me. I'll be right back. No talking." She said, poking Nathan. She stood up at ran to the door, waving at Haley before rushing past her.

Haley laughed quietly, walking into the room. "If it's this easy to get you to stop talking, I might have to try it every once and awhile." She teased, sitting down next to him.

"Very funny." Nathan chuckled, shaking his head. "How long have you been watching?" He asked, smiling at her.

"Long enough, Prince Nathan." She hummed, adjusting the crown on his head.

"It's King Nathan." He corrected her, laughing.

"No, I'm pretty sure Lydia made it very clear that you were only Prince Nathan. Sorry, honey." She laughed, winking at him.

"Whatever, I guess I'll have to prove myself before I can become a king." He laughed. "Where is that kid with my dog anyways? I haven't had the chance to go out there yet." Nathan said, looking around.

Lydia came back in a few seconds later, carrying Max in probably the most uncomfortable position ever but he was being a good sport about it.

"Hey buddy! Come here." He said quickly, smirking as the dog jumped away from Lydia and ran to Nathan. Lydia scowled, stomping her foot on the ground. "Daddy! You're under a spell. Either play right or don't play at all." She scowled at him.

"My bad- Oops. Sorry." Nathan chuckled, pretending to zip up his lips and throw the key. He rubbed his hand over Max's head, looking at Haley.

Haley laughed, smiling at Lydia. "Teach me your ways." She hummed.

"Princess Haley, we do not make fun of Prince Nathan in this kingdom." Lydia said, shaking her head. Haley raised her eyebrows, laughing quietly.

"My bad. Sorry Prince Nathan." She said, winking at him.

"Now you have to go give him a hug. But no kissing. That will break his spell. Unless you're not his true love." Lydia said, gesturing towards Nathan.

"Oh she's my true love alright." Nathan hummed, winking at Haley.

"Daddy!" Lydia frowned, looking at him.

Nathan held up his hands apologetically, smiling at her.

Haley smiled, moving closer to Nathan and hugging him. "There. All better. No hard feelings." She said, rubbing Nathan's back for a second. She turned back to Lydia, "Okay Queen Lydia, let's give Prince Nathan a break and go see if we can get some dinner made." Haley hummed, standing up and holding out her hand.

Lydia grabbed it, standing up. "No talking." She said, tapping Nathan's nose and following Haley out of the room.

After about another hour, Jamie had been dropped off at their house and Deb and William's family had left.

"Hey Dad. Do you want to go play basketball?" Jamie asked him, smirking.

Nathan looked at Lydia, before looking back at Jamie, sighing softly.

"Jamie, he can't talk." Lydia reminded him.

"I know, Lydia. I'm just messing with him." Jamie chuckled. "Hey, Dad. Is it okay if Chuck spends the night? Oh, and he wanted to ask me if he could sleep in your bed with you because he gets scared. Say nothing if it's okay." He laughed.

Haley laughed quietly, shaking her head. Nathan sent her a look that she translated to 'Oh, you think this is funny?' She winked at him, shrugging slightly. "I think that would be alright Jamie." She laughed.

"Hey Dad, I think I'll actually wait until Lucas is in town because he's better at basketball than you anyways." Jamie smirked slightly.

Lydia giggled, looking over at Nathan. "Poor Prince Nathan." She said, shrugging slightly.

"Yeah, poor Prince Nathan." Jamie laughed, shaking his head.

"You two are so mean." Haley laughed quietly, rubbing Nathan's shoulder.

Nathan looked at her, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards him, kissing her quickly. "I'm cured." He said, sticking his tongue out at Lydia.

"Hey! That doesn't count. She didn't kiss you." Lydia protested.

"Yeah. Prince Charming had to kiss Sleeping Beauty, not the other way around." Jamie said, laughing.

"Yeah! Daddy is Sleeping Beauty." Lydia cheered.

Nathan sighed softly, leaning against the counter and zipping his lips back up.

Haley laughed, rubbing his back. "Poor Sleeping Beauty." She hummed.

"This is probably the best thing that's ever happened. I think we should call him Sleeping Beauty for the rest of his life. Dad, if you agree... Say nothing." Jamie laughed, smirking.

Nathan turned to look at Haley, pouting slightly, giving her puppy dog eyes.

Haley looked up at him, shaking her head. "That doesn't work." She laughed.

He sighed, pointing to the stove, them gesturing to himself before holding up two fingers.

"You'll make dinner for two nights? Hm, tempting. What else do you have?" Haley laughed.

"No bargaining, Sleeping Beauty." Jamie laughed, shaking his head.

"Yeah!" Lydia said, turning to Jamie. "What does that mean?" She whispered.

"It's like when Mom says you can have a cupcake if you eat your vegetables." Jamie said, smiling at her.

"Hey kids, I might be able to get you something too." Haley said, shaking her head and laughing.

"What else, Nathan?" She asked him.

Nathan looked at her, smirking slightly.

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

He sighed, holding up three fingers.

"You'll make dinner for three days? How about a week?" Haley laughed, smiling at him.

Nathan nodded his head quickly, gesturing for her to come over to him.

Haley walked over, kissing him for a second, before turning back to her children. "Sorry kids. He looked so sad." She laughed.

"Ha! Take that." Nathan said, smirking at them.

"It's okay, I'll just put another spell on him later." Lydia informed them.

Jamie grinned, "Hey. Teach me how to cast spells on him too. Make him do my homework." He chuckled.

"That's not what you want, trust me." Nathan said, shrugging. "But hey, at least I'm making dinner all week. That means eating out a lot." He smirked.

Haley rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Don't take the easy way out, Nathan." She said, smiling at him.

"No, Mom. Don't say stuff like that. It better if he doesn't try to cook." Jamie laughed.

"Hey! I'll have you know that I have lived on my own before. I can cook." Nathan frowned.

"I made you dinner or brought over some from my house most of the time, Nathan." Haley laughed, poking his side. "But you can make some things, I'll give you that." She said, smiling at him.

"Thank you. See that? I can make some things, Jamie." He shrugged.

"Max won't even eat your cooking." Jamie teased him.

"Whatever, Max would do anything for me." Nathan replied.

"I like when Daddy makes pancakes!" Lydia said, giving Nathan a thumbs up.

"Favorite kid." He hummed, winking at her.

"I'm mom's favorite, so it's okay." Jamie shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey, I don't have a favorite." Haley protested, shaking her head. "Now go do your homework. Jamie, I know you just got home from studying, but make sure you study for the math test you have tomorrow. If you need help, let me know."


	35. Chapter 35

I do not own One Tree Hill.

I would just like to clarify that I know literally nothing about the way recording studios actually run.

Chapter 35  
Haley sat at her desk, looking up at her husband, who was venting to her about some basketball team that did something that made him mad.

"And the other guy had a clear path to the hoop. But no, Mr. Ball hog decides to hold onto it and go up for a three. I literally wanted to jump through the TV screen and smack him upside the head." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head. "And to make it worse- Haley, are you listening?" He asked her, sitting down on her desk and chuckling quietly.

"Honestly, no." She laughed, resting her hand on his knee. "But I thought it would help if you got it all off your chest so I just sat there. You're cute when you get fired up." Haley hummed, winking at him.

"Why, thank you." He laughed. "I appreciate the effort." He said, resting his hand on top of hers.

"Hey, I may not care about basketball that much but I care about you." She said, smiling up at him.

"Megan better be worth cutting our vacation short. We could be in Paris right now." He said, picking up a picture of Jamie and Lydia off her desk.

"Hey, we both decided it would be best to come make sure everything is okay." Haley reminded him, standing up.

"I know, I know. I just miss having you all to myself sometimes." Nathan hummed, shrugging.

Haley pinched his chin, smiling at him. "The feeling is mutual." She shrugged. "You can come to New York with me. It's not going to be an overnight trip, and we probably won't spend that much time together. But it's always nice to have my biggest fan there to support me." Haley hummed, kissing his cheek.

"I'll have to check with Clay, but that will be probably be fine." Nathan said, smiling at her. He looked over his shoulder when he heard someone walk in, standing up slowly.

"Hey Trevor. Ready to do this?" Haley asked him, smiling.

Trevor nodded, looking at her. "As ready as I'll ever been." He laughed, shrugging.

"Don't worry. It'll be the same as before. Just a duet. And this song will be heard by people other than your mom." She laughed. "I brought Nathan because we weren't supposed to be home for a couple more days, so everyone that usually records I already gave the day off. So we'll see if we can squeak by with Nathan." She hummed, nodding at Nathan, and looking at Trevor. "Come on." She said, leading him into the recording booth.

"So how was Paris?" Trevor asked her, smiling slightly.

"Oh, wow. It was amazing. So incredibly beautiful." Haley said, adjusting the sound board for Nathan a little bit. "Here you go, Nathan. You should just need to push this button when I tell you and we'll be good." She looked at him and smiled.

Nathan nodded at her, before looking at Trevor. "Okay. Well I'll try not to mess this up so you guys don't have to do it again." He grumbled, taking a seat.

Haley grabbed onto Trevor's arm, pulling him into the recording booth. "Okay, Nate. We're going to go through it together and see how it sounds, but we may need to do it individually and then put it together." Haley hummed, nodding at Nathan.

He pushed the talk button, "Wait, don't you need like instrumentals?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, I had those recorded while we were gone." She replied, sighing softly and walking back into the room Nathan was in. "Now don't stop it unless I tell you to, okay?" She laughed, reseting the song.

He nodded his head, watching her walk back in to Trevor, scowling slightly.

She nodded at him again, and he pushed the button.

The whole entire song drove Nathan insane. Trevor kept looking at Haley, and occasionally Haley would look back at him and they would make eye contact and smile. It annoyed him the first time it happened, but since it happened more than once he was about ready to go off on Trevor.

"How did that sound, Nathan?" Haley asked, her voice drawing him out of his thoughts.

He sucked in a deep breath to compose himself. "Like it could use some Hotshot Scott raps." Nathan replied, smirking at her.

Trevor looked at Haley, raising his eyebrows.

"Hot shot Scott?" She asked, looking at Trevor and laughing quietly.

"Yeah, that's my rapper name." Nathan replied through clenched teeth. This whole eye contact laugh or smile thing was pissing him off a completely ridiculous amount.

"I think you should keep trying, Nathan. I'm sure you can come up with a better one." Trevor said, shaking his head.

Haley shook her head, "I think it's fitting. Where did you come up with it?" She asked him.

"Oh you know, after one of the thousand times you dragged me back to our hotel room in Paris." Nathan smirked, glaring at Trevor.

Haley shook her head, her cheeks turning slightly red. "Okay, Hotshot Scott. That's enough out of you. I'll kick you out again if you keep making comments like that." She said, sighing softly.

"You asked." Nathan responded, shaking his head.

"Let's go listen to it, Trevor." Haley said, hurrying back into the sound booth. She rolled Nathan's chair out of the way, pushing the playback button.

"Nathan. Did you push the record button?" She asked him, chuckling quietly.

"You just told me to push the one button, Hales." Nathan said, looking over at her.

Trevor chuckled, "Yeah you push the recording button, then that button. We would have known when to start singing because the music." He informed him.

"Whatever man. You're lucky to be here, so don't be telling me what to do." Nathan snapped, sucking in a deep breath.

Haley sighed softly, mouthing 'sorry' to Trevor. "Okay, Trev. Go on back in there and get ready." She said, smiling at him.

Trevor nodded slowly, walking back in.

Haley gently rubbed Nathan's shoulder, kissing the top of his head. "Okay Nathan, you push the record button when I nod, and then the music button." She said softly, scratching her fingernails lightly over his neck.

"You didn't tell me that." Nathan replied, closing his eyes.

"I know, it's my fault. I'm sorry." Haley hummed. "Lighten up a little, alright?" She suggested, before heading back into the booth.

After what felt like a million tries, Nathan finally did it right, but halfway through Haley had to take him out of the room and calm him down a little bit.

"Finally." Nathan grumbled, looking at his wife. He rubbed his hands down his face, letting out a deep breath.

"Alright. Why don't we go out to lunch?" Haley suggested, rubbing her hand over Nathan's back."Then Trevor and I can come back and he can help me record some more. You can go home and relax because you seem tense." She hummed, looking over at Trevor, who nodded.

"I'm going to invite Chase. Here's the keys. Why don't you go start the car?" Nathan suggested, handing her the car keys. He rushed out into Tric, finding Chase taking stock.

"Chase, come to lunch with us." He said quickly, glancing over his shoulder as Haley and Trevor walked behind them to the door, laughing.

"What?" Chase asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Come on, you have a bartender working. I can't handle hanging out with Trevor anymore and I'm going to scream at him if you don't come along." Nathan said quickly.

"Well, I guess I can." Chase said, shrugging.

"Great. I owe you. Come on, you can ride with me and Haley." Nathan grinned, letting out a breath of relief. Nathan walked out to the car, Chase following behind him. He scowled slightly when he saw Trevor sitting in the front seat, talking to Haley.

"I do not like this guy, Chase. Not even a little bit." He grumbled, climbing into the back with Chase, sighing softly.

"Hey Nathan. Good job today." Haley said, glancing at him in the rear view mirror.

"Did you let Nathan work the recording stuff?" Chase asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, he did really well." She replied, smiling.

"Mia let me try that once. This explains the bad mood. It's frustrating when it's not working right." He laughed, elbowing Nathan a bit. "Or maybe he woke up on the wrong side of the bed?" He teased.

"He did, actually. He seems to think that we share a pillow now." She laughed, reaching behind her and poking Nathan's leg softly.

"Oh gross, old married jokes." Chase joked, shaking his head.

"Hey Clean Teen, be quiet." Nathan smirked, shaking his head.

"There was nothing wrong with being a Clean Teen." Chase said, shrugging his shoulders.

"There's nothing wrong with having sex either." Nathan replied, chuckling quietly.

"Not all of us were the heartbreakers, Nathan. Some of us were the ones with the broken heart so we put up our walls." Trevor said to him, the car immediately becoming more tense.

Nathan's jaw clenched and he let out a slow, deep breath.

He opened his mouth to reply, before Chase started talking.

"So how did you guys like Paris? I was annoyed at you two because usually Brooke calls you to watch Davis and Jude but she decided it would be fun to call me while you were gone and have me take them to the Rivercourt for awhile. Well, I just so happen to suck at basketball, and they just so happened to feel the need to tell me that I sucked over and over again." He laughed, shaking his head.

"Oh man, Paris is nice. Very beautiful and very romantic. Maybe if Mia ever tours there you can go visit her." Haley said, humming softly.

"What makes you say that?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"She may or may not send me screenshots every once an awhile of your texts." She replied, humming softly. Chase gave her a weird look, shaking his head.

"What? It's been a long time since I've been through the 'I like you but I'm not going to do anything about it but I might still flirt a little bit just to see' phase. And ours was a lot different than the average person's. Plus you and Mia have been through that numerous times." She laughed, parking the car.

"Okay, this is done." Chase laughed, shaking his head.

Everyone got out of the car slowly, Haley linking her arm through Nathan's. "Hey." She said softly, looking up at him.

Nathan looked down at her, sighing softly. "Are you sure you don't want to go home after this? I'm pretty sure my 12 days of Christmas Lingerie is supposed to be starting soon." He said, smirking down at her.

"You've still got a couple days." She laughed, kissing his cheek.

"I know, I have a countdown." He hummed, following everyone into the restaurant.

The whole entire lunch was tense. Trevor would say something, and Nathan would say some snappy comment in reply. It really didn't help that Trevor would every once and awhile put his arm around the back of Haley's chair, since Haley had so brilliantly decided since Trevor didn't know Chase, he would sit by her.

Now, Nathan was at home, sitting on the couch and reading about a couple players on his laptop.

He looked up when he heard the front door open, and saw Megan walk in.

"Hey." Megan said, sitting next to him. "Where's Haley?" She asked.

"Uh, she's in the recording studio. Was she supposed to meet you here?" He asked, looking back down at his laptop.

"No." She replied, leaning back. After a second, she turned and looked at Nathan again, grabbing his bruised hand and examining his knuckles. "You know... I was just with Grayson and he has a bruise on his face. He made up some quick excuse just like you did yesterday." She said, frowning.

He tugged his hand away from her, sighing softly. "Weird." He grumbled, turning his attention back to the computer.

"Is it weird, Nathan?" Megan asked, raising her eyebrows. "Because you two just randomly decide to come home from Paris, even though I'm sure you were having a great time, then once you get back home Grayson decided to call me and you have a bruise on your hand and he has one on his face. So tell me, is it weird?" She asked, shaking her head.

Nathan glanced at her, sighing and setting his laptop on the coffee table. "Okay, so I may have gone and talked to him. It's not a big deal." He said, shrugging slightly and standing up. He walked into the kitchen, taking a water bottle out of the fridge.

"You two did come home for me." Megan frowned, shaking her head and following him.

He jumped when she burst into tears, turning around quickly. "Uh." He began, rubbing his neck softly.

"No one has ever come home from Paris for me before." She cried out, rushing to Nathan and hugging him tightly.

"Um..." Nathan left his arms at his side for a second, before lifting up his hand and awkwardly patting her back. "There, there?" He shrugged slightly.

"And you beat up my boyfriend for being a jack ass. You're a good brother." She cried into his shoulder.

"Step brother." He corrected her. Megan shook her head, holding onto him tightly.

"No, no. You're my brother now." She mumbled, her crying getting worse.

"What is happening right now?" Nathan asked her, looking down.

"My pregnancy hormones are everywhere." Megan replied, hugging him tighter.

He let out a deep sigh, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her. "There. I hugged you. Now stop crying, please." He grumbled.

She sniffled, before pulling away from him.

Nathan looked down to find mascara all over his shirt. "I wish I could say that this was the first time a pregnant woman has done this to me." He grumbled, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry." Megan laughed, wiping off her face. "I'm going to go wash off my face. You should probably find a new shirt." She hummed.

Nathan nodded, sighing softly and heading up the stairs.

A few minutes later he returned, sitting down on the couch again.

"So..." Nathan began, looking over at Megan. "What happened?" He asked her cautiously. "Or is this more of a Haley subject that I should let her take care of while I just stand there for moral support?" He chuckled, smiling at her.

"You can ask that." Megan hummed, looking at Nathan. "I was so nervous to see him. So, I met him there and I immediately noticed the bruise, courtesy of you, and I asked him about it and he kind of brushed it off. He was very abrupt at first, and kind of quiet. And I wasn't really in a talking mood so I just sat quietly. Then, he started talking and he told me that he was sorry, and that he was scared, but he also understood that I was probably scared too." She began, looking at him.

"He also said that he wished I would of told him earlier, which I do sort of understand because I should of told him when I found out. Anyways, he told me that he wanted to give us another chance, and that he was going to stick it through. But I told him that I wasn't ready to date him again, for obvious reasons. He found out I was pregnant and broke up with me over text message. Then he said that he respected that and he would be there. He's coming to my appointment next week." Megan hummed, letting out a deep breath.

"Are you going to get back with him?" Nathan asked, leaning back.

"Probably I will eventually. I mean, if he sticks to this. Because you were a jerk when you found out about Jamie and you and Haley ended up okay." She chuckled.

"Thanks for reminding me. I'm going to remind you that not every couple is like me and Haley. But if you think he's the right guy for you, then hold on." He shrugged, picking up a playstation controller and handing it to Megan. "My kids don't get home for a few hours and everyone else is busy. So you're stuck hanging out with me until someone gets unbusy." He smirked, turning on the playstation and picking up another controller.

"Fair enough." Megan laughed, "I don't know what I'm doing but if you can do it, I'm sure I can figure it out." She elbowed him a little bit.

"Yeah, we'll see." He grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Haley walked into the house a few hours later, Jamie and Lydia following behind her. She raised her eyebrows when she heard Nathan shouting.

"What is Daddy yelling about?" Lydia asked, looking up at her.

"I don't know, honey. Get your homework out and start doing it. I'll go check it out." Haley laughed, looking at Jamie and shrugging her shoulders. She walked into the living room, raising her eyebrows.

"Nathan! You suck at this." Megan laughed, shoving him softly.

"Hey, no I don't. I'm letting you win because you're pregnant!" Nathan replied, dropping his controller on the ground and kicking it softly.

"Aw, don't throw a pissy fit." She laughed.

"I shouldn't have let you play." He muttered.

"Come on, Nate. Let's keep playing. I'm having a good time, and it's been awhile since I've laughed this hard." She said, picking up his controller and handing it back to him.

Nathan sighed softly, shaking his head. "Fine, but I get to be the '98 Bulls this time. There is no way in hell I'll lose with them." He grumbled.

"I'm going to be Golden State again because everyone talks about them all the time." Megan hummed.

"Again? Come on. Choose a different team." He grumbled.

Haley chuckled, walking up behind the couch, wrapping her arms around Nathan, flattening her hands over his chest.

"Hey you two." She laughed, kissing the back of Nathan's head.

"Hey Haley." Megan smiled, nodding at her.

"Hey baby." Nathan grumbled.

"Win this and maybe I'll stay awake long enough to have sex tonight." Haley joked, winking at him.

"Oh, you better win this one Nate." Megan teased him.

"You guys are so funny." He said, shaking his head.

"Okay, I'm going to go help Jamie with his pre-algebra homework. Try to keep it quiet, kids." Haley hummed, "Win this one for me, baby." She kissed Nathan's head again and heading out.

"He won't!" Megan called after her, turning her attention back to the TV.

Nathan threw his controller on the ground once the game was finished, shaking his head. "Damn you." He grumbled. "I was Jordan. I should have destroyed you." He sighed. "I'm done. My pride can't take anymore. You can go home now." Nathan sighed, closing his eyes.

"First I'm going to go talk to Haley. She needs to know the verdict so she doesn't waste her sleeping time." Megan teased him, ruffling his hair and standing up. She walked into the kitchen, smiling at Lydia and Jamie.

"Hey kids. I just got done kicking your Dad's butt at that basketball video game." She said, smirking at Haley and winking.

Haley gave her a thumbs up, mouthing 'thank you' to her, before rolling her eyes.

Nathan walked in, shaking his head. "Let's go play real basketball, Megan. I'll take you down." He grumbled.

"Nathan, it's just a game. You're still macho. Don't worry." Megan laughed, shaking her head.

"I'm just saying, a video game is not like the real thing." He said, shrugging.

Jamie looked at Nathan, chuckling. "He likes to he called Sleeping Beauty now." He informed her.

"Or Prince Nathan!" Lydia added, grinning.

"Okay, enough out of you two." Haley said, rubbing Nathan's back.

"Sleeping Beauty and Prince Nathan. Thanks kids, I'll remember that. Now I'll be off. Bye everyone." Megan hummed, heading out of the house.

"Do you need me to invite Chuck over so you can beat him, Dad?" Jamie joked, smirking.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, kid." Nathan grumbled, rolling his eyes and sitting down next to Lydia.

"I think you're good at video games, Daddy." She informed him. He grinned at her,

"And that my dear is why Santa is bringing you everything you want for Christmas, and he's going to bring Jamie coal." He informed her, wrapping his arm around her chair.

"Haha, Jamie! You get coal." Lydia hummed. Haley shook her head, walking around the counter and hugging Jamie.

"Santa is not bringing my baby coal. He's on the nice list." She informed them.

Jamie chuckled, "Yeah. Take that, Lydia. I'm on the nice list because I do all my chores." He said.

"Jamie! You promised you wouldn't tell." Lydia scowled, shaking her head.

"That was before you said I was getting coal." He replied.

"You are getting coal." She grumbled.

"Well if I'm going down then I'm bringing you right along with me." He shrugged, shaking his head.

"You suck at basketball!" Lydia said, shaking her fist at him.

"Hey, woah! Let's just calm down a little bit. We do not say 'suck' in this house, Lydia. Apologize to Jamie." Haley said quickly, shaking her head.

"Sorry Jamie. You're good at basketball." She grumbled, looking down at her homework.

"That's right. I'm better than Dad." Jamie said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Hey, if you keep lying then you'll get coal for sure." Nathan chuckled. "Why don't we go play right now? We can see if Clay and Logan want to come." He suggested.

"Sure, let me go get changed." Jamie said, hurrying up to his room.

"Well, I'm already dressed for basketball, because you left me at the house all alone today. So I gave up on looking nice for you and just got comfortable. I forgive, but I don't forget Haley James." Nathan chuckled, winking at her. He kissed Lydia's head, pulling out his phone and texting Clay.

"Yeah, yeah." Haley laughed, waving her hand.

"Tell Jamie that I'll be in the car. I'll see you two later." He hummed, kissing Lydia's head once more, before walking over and kissing Haley's forehead.

"I guess I better make dinner when I get home too. So, pizza or tacos? Wait, forget it. I'll surprise you." Nathan smirked, winking at her and rushing out to the car.

xxxx

Haley woke up in the middle of the night to an empty bed. She glanced at the clock, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. It was a little after three in the morning. She looked down, noticing that Nathan's side of the bed looked like it hadn't even been touched.

She let out a deep breath, wrapping her robe around herself and heading down the stairs. A small scowl formed on her face when she heard the TV, as well as both Jamie and Nathan's voices.

Haley looked at them, shaking her head. "James Lucas Scott, what are you doing awake? You have school in the morning." She said. Jamie looked at Nathan, setting his controller down slowly.

"Okay, Dad. This is where I leave you. Goodnight." He said quickly, rushing up the stairs past Haley.

Haley turned to look at Nathan, who tossed Jamie's controller to her. She very ungracefully caught it, and paused the game.

"What the hell was he doing awake, Nathan? I told him that he had to go to bed when I did, at ten. And he said he had to play the last three minutes of this game and then he would." She scowled at him.

"What time is it now?" Nathan asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Just after three, Nathan. He has to get up for school in four hours." Haley said, sitting down next to him.

"Wow. I'm so sorry, I guess we really lost track of time. It's my fault. I kept convincing him to play another. I kept losing." He grumbled, looking at the TV.

She sighed, rubbing her hand down her face. "You know what, we'll just discuss this in the morning. You're dealing with his grumpy teenageness tomorrow though." She mumbled.

"Okay, I need to finish this game. There's like five minutes left. Will you play?" He asked.

Haley laughed, shaking her head. "No. Exit this controller out, because I'm not playing." She said, resting her head on Nathan's shoulder, closing her eyes.

Nathan glanced down at her, looking up at the TV, sighing. "Forget this. Come on, gorgeous. Let's get you back in bed." He mumbled, turning off the Playstation quickly.

"I think since you woke me up at three in the morning, you should have to carry me up." Haley chuckled.

He smiled at her, "I may suck at the video game, but this is something I can do." He chuckled, picking her up quickly.

"My Prince Nathan." She teased him, kissing his cheek and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'll drop you." Nathan grumbled, holding her tighter to him.

"No you won't." She laughed, resting her hand on his cheek. "Take me to bed, Nathan Scott. I'm done being awake." Haley hummed, smiling up at him.

He nodded slowly, heading up the stairs, chuckling quietly.


	36. Chapter 36

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Okay, I got this idea from Hilarie and Joy's panel in the convention in Wilmington in July.**

 **Chapter 36**

Haley paced around her dressing room, sucking in slow, deep breaths. She was about to perform with Trevor, and as usual, her nerves were getting the best of her.

"Okay, Haley. You need to calm down." Nathan chuckled, looking up at her from his seat, spinning around in it. "You've been on tours, and performed hundreds of times." He said to her, smiling slightly.

"Nathan, shut up, shut up." Haley grumbled, shaking her head. She looked at him, stopping after a second and letting out a small sigh. "I'm sorry. It's just been awhile." She said, letting out a deep breath.

"Come on, baby. You're great. You're so, so talented. Even if you are singing with that tool Trevor." He hummed, standing up and grabbing her hands.

Haley looked at him, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "Nathan." She sighed.

"I'm sorry. I'll be nice." Nathan chuckled, looking down at her.

He kissed her softly, holding her close to him. Haley gripped his arm softly, pulling back after a second.

"You've already messed up my make up once, Nathan." She laughed, smiling at him.

"Guilty." He replied, hugging her tightly. "You're going to be amazing, Haley. You always are. I'll be right there watching you." He whispered.

Haley nodded her head, holding onto him tightly. "I love you, Nathan. Thank you. You have no idea how bad I would be if you weren't here to calm my nerves." She laughed.

"Hey, I'll always be here to calm you down. Always and forever." He smirked, winking down at her.

Haley grinned up at him, brushing her fingers through his hair.

Someone poked their head in, "One minute, Haley." The person said, before they were gone.

"Okay, go out and kill it. I know you will. One last kiss for good luck." Nathan chuckled, kissing her briefly.

Haley laughed, looking in the mirror, sucking in a deep breath.

"You look beautiful, Haley. Now go." He hummed, smiling at her.

Haley nodded her head, pinching his chin, and rushing out.

"Hello everyone! I'm Joan Johnson and today we have a very special guest for you today. She's one half of a very unusual couple, but she's also so much more than that. I'm excited to introduce to you singer-songwriter, Haley James Scott, along with an emerging face in the music business. Someone who has just signed with Red Bedroom Records, Trevor Wilson. Here they are with their version of 'All I want for Christmas is you.' " Joan said, before stepping off the stage when Haley and Trevor walked on.

She stood next to Nathan when they started singing, glancing up at him. "Nathan Scott. I almost didn't recognize you with the beard." She laughed.

Nathan chuckled, nodding his head. "Yeah, I'm trying it out. We'll see." He hummed, watching Haley.

"So, everything is going fine with you and Haley? Because if I'm not mistaken, that's the guy from the pictures that have been emerging of her." Joan asked him.

He nodded his head quickly, "Everything is great, yeah. Thanks." He replied, crossing his arms and smiling as Haley looked over at him, winking.

Once they had finished singing, Joan walked back out, smiling at them. "That sounded wonderful, you two. Thank you so much. I was just talking to Nathan, who is backstage, and he seemed absolutely smitten, probably a very good representation of the rest of America today. Thank you both for coming out today. Everyone, keep an eye out for Trevor. We'll hear more from Haley after the break."

Haley hurried off the stage to Nathan, hugging him quickly. "It always feels so amazing to be out there. You're so right, I love this so much." She laughed, smiling at him.

"You sounded great. And you looked sexy as hell." Nathan chuckled, winking at her. He looked at Trevor, sucking in a deep breath. "Hey, man. Nice job out there." He said softly.

Haley smiled up at him, kissing his cheek before walking to Trevor and hugging him tightly. Trevor lifted her up, spinning her around.

"Wow, Haley. That was so amazing. Thank you so much." He said, kissing her forehead. "Thank you." He repeated.

Haley smiled at him, "Hey, thanks for not messing up." She laughed, hugging him tightly.

She turned back to Nathan, resting her hand on his chest. "Stop glaring at him like that. It was a friendly thing. Lucas does it all the time." Haley whispered to him, nodding slowly.

Nathan let out a deep sigh, hugging her close to him. "You were amazing, baby. Good luck with the interview. I'll be here." He chuckled, rubbing her back.

"You better be. Stay right here so I can see you from where I'm sitting." She laughed, kissing him briefly, before hurrying back onto the stage.

"And we're back, and to any of you who are just tuning in... I'm here with the amazingly talented Haley James Scott." Joan said, gesturing at Haley. Haley smiled, waving as the live audience started clapping. "Haley just performed the song "All I want for Christmas is you" with Trevor Wilson. She also released a whole Christmas album yesterday, so make sure to go check that out." Joan said, before turning her attention to Haley. "So, Haley. Let's talk about Trevor Wilson. How did you two meet?" She asked, smiling.

"Well, he actually went to Tree Hill High School, and I used to tutor him. So I've known him for quite awhile actually." Haley responded, nodding her head.

"What brought this whole duet thing into play?" Joan asked her.

"Well, I like to join Mia on tour for the last couple of shows, and our paths just crossed at one of the shows. I don't think I've seen him since I graduated, so 13 years. He still looks the same though, so I recognized him. And I like to think that I still look the same, and we started talking and he asked me if he could stop by Red Bedroom and record something for his Mom for her birthday. And I said yes, and he was talented so we discussed a duet. Here we are." Haley smiled, nodding her head.

"It's been awhile since we've gotten some new music from you. You've had the occasional show over the last few years, but it's been very quiet. Can we expect anything soon?" Joan asked her.

Haley smiled, nodding her head. "Yeah, actually. I've got some new music all ready to go to the studio, and I'm planning to have a new album out next year." She said, her smiling growing as the crowd started cheering. "That's how I feel too. I'm pretty excited for all of you to hear it." She hummed.

"We're all on the edge of our seats. So, can you tell us... What with such the long break? You were going strong there for awhile, but then you just kind of stopped. What happened?" Joan asked her, leaning forward a bit.

Haley looked at her, before looking out at the crowd. "I've been trying really hard to be the best mother I can be to my children, and the best wife I can be to my husband. And I know that they would all be okay with it. Nathan has been nagging me for a long time to get back out here, but I don't know. New music means more performances, and more performances would spark the need for me to tour, and I can't take my family with me every tour." She said, shrugging.

"Well, that's a pretty good reason. Family is important." Joan agreed, smiling at her.

"But, I'm really hoping to get back out there soon. Every single time I perform it just lights up my world. So we'll see what happens." Haley chuckled, shrugging her shoulders. "We can't wait." Joan agreed, smiling at her.

"So let's talk the Scott brothers." Joan began, nodding at Haley.

"That's a subject that I know a lot about." Haley laughed, tapping her hands on her legs. "Hit me, let's talk about them." She said, smiling past Joan at Nathan.

"Okay. I want your honest answer when it comes to this. Who would win in a fight?" Joan asked her curiously.

Haley laughed quietly, shrugging her shoulders. "Okay, this is going to come back to me. But I honestly think that Nathan would win. Lucas, if your watching... I'm sorry. All I know is what I see, and Nathan has huge biceps, and a very nice chest." She said, winking at Joan. "We were in Hawaii for Nathan's mother's wedding awhile ago, and they actually got into this argument. So hopefully I didn't start it again." She added, shaking her head.

"Well, just make sure they watch out for their pretty faces." Joan laughed, smiling at her. "So, you and Lucas have always been very close? And it's been a long time, but did things change after you and Nathan got married? Are things still not like they used to be?" She asked.

"Lucas and I are still very close. I have my days where he's the person I want to be around more than anyone in the world. He's my best friend. I would say, yeah... Some things did change once Nathan and I got married, and it's still different because he's married. But he's always been this constant thing that I could lean on when there was nobody else, and I don't think that will ever change." Haley said, nodding her head.

"Is it weird to think about how they used to not like each other?" Joan asked her, scooting forward to the edge of her chair.

"It's kind of weird, yeah. They spent so much time without the other in their life, and to look at them now... They're brothers. Completely. They take care of each other, and look out for each other no matter what. Lucas came to visit probably two months ago, and we ran into him at the Rivercourt, the concrete basketball court in our town. And it was probably like 3 o'clock, and Nathan decided to stay with him. They were out until close to 11." Haley laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Lucas is the one with the bad heart, but I swear those boys are going to give me a heart attack. They both love to tease me, and when they're with each other they think it's a good idea to team up on me. It's really not fair, because I do a lot more embarrassing things than them." She shook her head, smiling brightly.

Joan smiled at her, "So you and Nathan just celebrated your 15th anniversary, right? Can you tell us about it?" She asked, crossing her legs.

"That's right, yeah. Nathan is outstanding, let me tell you. He really treats me so special, and out shines me every year. One year I'll get him though. This year he did this sort of scavenger hunt type thing and made me go all around our home looking for gifts. It was super sweet and very romantic. I got him a few little things, nothing super big. A lot of times I get him repeat gifts like basketball tickets, because that's what he wants. But this year I also got him this gorgeous golden retriever puppy, and our family just loves him. His name is Max, and I've always been very reluctant to get a dog because I knew that I would end up being the one taking care of it, regardless of who's dog it was. But nope, my children, and Nathan, have really stepped up and taken responsibility. It's great." Haley hummed, nodding her head.

"So you and Nathan have been married for 15 years, and you've been in the spotlight for quite awhile, yet you try to keep a low profile when it comes to your relationship, and your family. Why is that? I mean, you attend events together, and post the occasional photo with each other or with your family when your doing interesting things, like going to Hawaii or Paris, or celebrating a 15th anniversary, but the majority of the time you try to keep to yourselves, and keep your family private, and most of the time you're successful in that but there's the occasional times where you two blow up and become a top story. Why try to keep everything so closed off?" Joan asked her curiously, tilting her head.

Haley nodded slowly, thinking for a second. "I've been sort of in the spotlight since I was 16. I mean, I wasn't a big deal but people recognized me occasionally, and knew who I was. I'm fairly used to it, and Nathan is used to it. But we don't want our kids to be walking down the street, or out with their friends and have people taking pictures of them. We aren't always successful in this, but so much of our lives have been exposed to the world by Lucas' book, and we aren't the main focus of the book by any means, but there is still personal stuff in there. And yes, it's sometimes difficult and sometimes I just saw screw it and post the pictures anyways. But the point is, we want our children to grow up and make names for themselves. We want them to be treated fairly at school. It can be a scary world out there, and I don't want to have to worry about my kids' safety, you know? I do post the occasional thing with them, and Jamie has his own social media that he's in control of, but the picture will be just as cute on my phone as it would be on someone scrolling past it's phone. Does that make sense?" She said, shrugging slightly.

"Yeah, I think it makes a lot of sense. Thank you." Joan hummed. "Alright, we're going to take a quick break and then we'll be back with questions from viewers."

Haley stood up, walking over to Nathan and letting out a deep breath.

"Here you go." Nathan hummed, handing her a water bottle.

"You're amazing." She hummed, taking a drink.

"I do what I can for the girl who says I can beat up my older brother." He smirked, flexing his bicep.

She rolled her eyes, laughing quietly. "Yeah, yeah. What did you think?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"I think you did amazing and that your answers were great." He smiled, kissing her forehead.

"Thank you. Do I seem nervous?" Haley asked him, looking up at him.

Nathan shook his head, "You're fine, Hales. I promise." He said, grinning at her. "You've got a fast brain in that head of yours. I'm trying to figure out how I would answer the questions. It would probably be yes or no." He hummed, shrugging.

"You know, you're not the first person to tell me that today. But it means the most coming from you." She joked, tugging on his shirt a bit.

Haley glanced over her shoulder, sucking in a deep breath. "Well, I better get back out there. Don't you go anywhere, Nathan Scott." She hummed, winking at him and hurrying back.

"Welcome back! We're just about to ask Haley James Scott some questions that you all sent in." Joan said, nodding over at Haley.

Haley smiled and waved, before turning her attention back to Joan. "So, Morgan wants to know when exactly we can expect an album from you?" Joan asked, looking at her.

"Well, I have some things that are going to be keeping me busy next year. As many of you probably know, I own a cafe with my friend Brooke Davis, and I hate to admit it but I've been slacking a lot lately. So I'm going to need to give her a lot of time off probably." Haley laughed, shrugging. "But besides that, I really hope to knock it out of the park early next year. This Christmas album, most of the songs were recorded in one day. So once I have the songs, it's easier to get them done. We'll see though. Speaking of the Christmas album, and my amazing husband deserves a little bit of credit for the song you just heard. He sat in the booth for hours and helped us record it." She added, smiling at the applause that followed.

"Maybe he can follow in your footsteps. The next question is from Tom. He asks if you have any plans to tour next year?" Joan asked.

"Good question. As of right now, there are no plans to tour next year. I'm sorry, I'm working on it guys. But it's hard to leave my family for so long." Haley said, smiling slightly.

"We can at least expect a few shows next year though, right?" Joan asked her, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh hell yes. For sure. And they won't all be in Tree Hill, I promise. I'll travel. Maybe I can do like a mini tour and have five shows in a row somewhere?" Haley shrugged.

Joan nodded her head, "Alright, Alice wants to know about Chris Keller. Her question is, why would anyone leave Nathan Scott for Chris Keller?" She asked, laughing quietly.

Haley chuckled, shaking her head. "Chris really isn't that bad, I promise. He puts up this whole act, but he's actually a nice guy. And he was offering my dream, and I couldn't turn it down. The way I handled the situation, I regret. But I don't regret going on tour with him. It was amazing." Haley said, shrugging.

"Okay, this next one is a little odd but we thought it was kind of interesting. Who has better handwriting out of all of what we consider the five main characters in Lucas Scott's book?" Joan asked her, laughing quietly.

Haley laughed, smiling and shrugging her shoulders. "Well, it's not Nathan, in my opinion at least. It's not so much that his handwriting is bad... He just writes in all capital letters. It drives me insane, and it always has. Okay. Maybe insane is an exaggeration, it bothered me more in high school because I would read over his rough drafts for papers, and it would be so annoying to read. When I was pregnant I would make him rewrite them, bless his heart. Anyways, back to the question. I think Brooke has beautiful handwriting, but I've also been told that my handwriting is pretty nice. Lucas writes rather small, and Peyton has pretty handwriting, but when she's writing fast it's hard to read. So I'm going to go with Brooke. This was kind of a weird question, but hey. It's fun." She laughed.

Joan nodded, smiling. "I would of guessed you, but Brooke Davis would make sense. This next question is from Mary. She asks how do you maintain the perfect relationship?" Joan asked, looking over at her.

Haley glanced over at Nathan, before looking back at Joan. "The perfect relationship. This is a loaded question. Now tell me, what exactly is the perfect relationship? Can it exist? If you look up perfect in the dictionary, it will probably say something along the lines of 'without flaws or faults.' Is it possible to have a relationship without flaws? Aren't arguing and fighting what make a relationship real? Don't get me wrong, I do not think that a relationship should have arguing and fighting all of the time. But it's how you bounce back from the disagreements. That's what makes a relationship. This is a good question, and I'm not trying to make it sound bad. But I think that people tend to look into me and Nathan's relationship too much, and dig for things that aren't there. We have a great relationship, we do. Most of the time we communicate well with each other. Most of the time. But we are two very different people, and we always have been. So we argue. Sometimes about little things, sometimes about big things. But we always bounce back and apologize to one another. I don't think Lucas's book, or Julian's TV show really captures Nathan and me in the correct way. I've seen comments that say that right from the beginning of our relationship, I was conflicted. I was, and all I was doing was tutoring him at that point. People thought I was conflicted because I was already in love with him, and I've seen things that say I probably had a crush on him for years. And I'm sorry when I say this, but that was a giant hell no for me. Nathan already knows this, so it's not news to him. I watched girls want to sleep with him, I watched people want to hang out with him or be him. And I was not one of those people, by any means. I don't think that the book or the show really capture exactly how much I hated him. Because I really, really did. A lot of people think the 'Don't say I need gave you anything' line was what changed my heart about him, and made me want him. I just don't understand that, because it made me so frustrated. I felt so angry when I was around him, and I felt like I was betraying my best friend. Thankfully, those feelings aren't there anymore, and yes I know that you're all dying to know, he still does say that line to me today and now it does make me weak in the knees." Haley chuckled, shaking her head. "But the only reason I started tutoring him, was so that he would leave Lucas alone. That's it. I didn't want to kiss the ground he walked on, and I didn't want to sleep with him. I was just trying to help out my best friend. Thankfully, I got over that and here we are 15 years later, and I get to make him wear ugly Christmas sweaters when he comes places with me. Side note, that is a picture I will post later, for sure. Nathan and I most certainly do not have the perfect relationship, not even close to it. There will always be fighting, and there will always be arguing. But at the end of the day we made a commitment to love each other forever, and it's not hard to keep. I don't think that a perfect relationship can exist." She said, tapping her hands on her legs.

"Wow. There you have it." Joan said, letting out a deep breath. "Sorry, give me a moment to pause for the awe effect." She laughed, smiling at Haley. "That seems like a good place to leave off the questions. When we come back, we'll be playing a game or two with Haley." Joan said, nodding at the camera.

Haley stood up, walking over to Nathan and letting out a deep breath. "How was that?" She laughed nervously, shaking her head.

"You really expressed your dislike for me on National Television." Nathan joked, smiling at her.

Haley punched his shoulder softly, "That's not what happened. Did I go off too much?" She sighed, shaking her head.

"No, baby. You did a great job at answering the question. You didn't say anything wrong." He said, rubbing her arms. "Now, do you know what game you're playing? Because that worries me." He chuckled, kissing her forehead.

"No idea. It'll be fun though. I can't remember the last time I did this." Haley hummed, smiling up at him.

"You look great on a stage, Mrs. Scott." He complimented, winking at her.

"Thank you." She replied, letting out a deep breath.

"You're not still nervous, are you?" He asked, rubbing her back. "What? No, no. I'm fine." She hummed, smiling up at him.

Nathan looked down at her, raising his eyebrows, eyeing her carefully.

"Nathan, I'm fine." She said, brushing the back of her hand over his cheek. "I'm going to go back out there. Wish me luck." She laughed, hurrying away.

"Okay, so the game we'll be playing is called Two Truths and a Lie." Joan said, turning to Haley. "Are you familiar with it?" She asked.

"Well, it sounds fairly self explanatory. I'm guessing I say three things, two of them are true and one of them is a lie?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes, and we have to guess which is which, so don't make them too easy. We'll give you a second." Joan said, nodding.

"Alright, alright. I'm trying to think of things that not even Nathan would know." Haley hummed, tapping her fingers on her chin. "Okay, okay. The first one. I've beat my husband at basketball before." She said, smirking slightly.

"I've already got my opinion on that one." Joan laughed, shaking her head.

"Okay, okay... Let me think. Hm... I used to have a crush on Lucas Scott." Haley said, laughing quietly.

"Wowza, that's an awkward family reunion." Joan laughed, smiling at her.

"And the third one..." Haley looked around the room, "Hm... Give me a second." She said, drumming her hands on her legs momentarily. "Let me think... Okay, okay. I've got one." She hummed, smiling. "I'm pregnant." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well this got interesting. Let's see if we can guess this." Joan said, turning to look at the audience. "Alright, so Haley said that she's beat her husband, who used to be in the NBA at basketball, she used to have a crush on Lucas Scott, and that she's pregnant. Honestly, I thought it was the first one but now I'm not so sure. So you tell me, what do you think?" Joan asked.

"Lie!" The audience yelled.

Joan looked at Haley, raising her eyebrows.

"That was not the lie." Haley said, smiling at them an shrugging her shoulders.

"Care to elaborate on that?" Joan laughed.

"Well, let's just say the score didn't start in his favor. We were playing to what was it, honey? 15?" She asked, looking over to Nathan, who nodded. "Sorry, my husband is back there. Anyways, 15, and he started me at 13. By the time the game ended, he had 14 points. So yes, I beat him. But it's safe to say that I'm still very terrible at basketball." She laughed, shaking her head.

"That's alright, you're a talented singer. So the one. Do you all think that she used to have a crush on Lucas Scott?" Joan asked, looking to the audience.

"Truth!" They called out, everyone's focus on Haley.

Joan looked at Haley, raising her eyebrows. "Well? Did you write Mrs. Lucas Scott all over your notebook?" She asked.

Haley looked over at Nathan. He was rocking back and forth on his heels, and he had a nervous look on his face. She smiled slightly, before looking back at Joan.

"Nope. That was the lie." Haley said, smiling brightly.


	37. Chapter 37

**I don't own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 37**

The only noise that was made was Nathan's loud cheering. Haley laughed quietly, shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders slightly.

"So that must mean that you're pregnant?" Joan asked, raising her eyebrows.

Haley smiled at her, nodding her head. "Yeah, I am. It was very unexpected but Nathan has been trying to convince me for awhile, but I wanted to wait until next year. Unexpected, but not unwelcome in the slightest. I guess when Nathan puts his mind to something, he achieves it. It's always been that way, I suppose." She hummed, smiling over when she mad eye contact with her husband. She loved how happy and giddy he looked at the moment.

"Judging by his reaction, he sounds pretty excited. What about you? Are you excited?" Joan asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh hell yes I'm excited! I had a feeling this was going to happen, and I told myself that if it did then it wouldn't be a bad thing, but next year would be better timing. But who really cares? I'm excited." Haley said, chuckling quietly as Nathan kept waving at her and giving her thumbs up.

Joan looked over her shoulder, smiling brightly. "Oh he's cute. He looks like an excited puppy." She laughed. "So we're guessing he didn't know?" She asked.

"He had no clue." Haley confirmed, smiling. "I've known for about a week, and I've been trying to come up with this super awesome way to tell him, and the moment just felt right." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"So this explains why there's no touring next year?" Joan asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, one of the reasons. But like I said, I'm working on an album. So it won't be another silent year from me. I apologize for that." Haley hummed.

"Hey, life as a mom gets hectic, and your children should come first. That makes sense to anyone." Joan agreed.

The interview went on for a couple more minutes, before it finally ended. Haley met a grinning Nathan back stage, smiling up at him.

Nathan enveloped her in a hug, lifting her up off the ground and holding her close to him. "Thank you, Haley." He said softly, holding her tightly.

"Hey, I was still on birth control. This one is all you." She laughed, her arms wrapping around his neck.

He set her back down, kissing her softly. "I can't believe it. How have you been able to hold it in for a whole week?" He asked, looking down at her with wide eyes.

"It was tough." She admitted, resting her hands on his cheeks, brushing her thumbs along his facial hair. "Every time I saw you I just wanted to tell you so I could see your face light up like this." Haley said softly, smiling at him.

"You're not upset, are you?" Nathan asked her softly, raising his eyebrows.

She shook her head quickly, "No, baby. No. I was surprised, yes. But I'm not disappointed at all." She said softly, kissing him quickly.

"You've made my Christmas amazing, Haley. Wow. What a present." Nathan chuckled, glancing up to see Trevor walking towards them.

"Uh, congrats guys." Trevor said, sighing softly. "That's exciting for you. I guess we can't go out for a celebratory drink or anything, huh?" He chuckled. "I'm happy for you."

Haley turned around and looked at him, wrapping her arm around Nathan's waist, leaning into his side. "Thank you, Trevor. We're excited." She smiled, looking up at Nathan.

"Thanks, man." Nathan said to Trevor, before glancing away. "I know we were going to stay and enjoy New York for a little bit. But there's snow here, and snow is cold. Let's go home." He said, looking down at her.

Haley looked up at him, nodding her head. "Yeah, snow sucks." She agreed, kissing him quickly. "Thank you for doing this with me, Trevor. Are you flying to Tree Hill, or back to your house?" She asked.

"I was planning on staying here for a few days. It's been awhile. I want to walk around, see the city. The touristy things." Trevor shrugged.

"New York is pretty great. You'll have fun. Have a drink for me." Haley said, smiling at him.

Trevor nodded, hugging her quickly. "I'll be back home around Christmas, so maybe I'll see you then?" He asked, shrugging.

"We'll plan on it. Today was fun, thank you." She smiled, nodding at him, before turning back to Nathan. "Okay, let me go pack up my stuff, and change into something else. Then we can go." She said softly, kissing him quickly, turning to Trevor and hugging him tightly, before rushing into her dressing room.

"Congratulations." Trevor said to Nathan, nodding at him.

"Thanks." Nathan said, sending him a curt nod and sucking in a deep breath. "Have fun in New York." He grumbled, before deciding to follow Haley into her dressing room.

"You know, I knew I could do it." Nathan said softly, as they were walking out of the airport to their car. He pulled off his jacket, wrapping it tightly around Haley.

Haley chuckled quietly, looking up at him. "You were right, Nathan. I was wrong." She said, smiling at him and kissing his cheeks.

"This is an awesome Christmas present. I can't believe it, Hales. I'm so excited. I just want to turn my phone back on and see what people have said." He grinned at her.

"Don't do it. We promised we'd wait until we saw the kids before we talked to anyone else." She said, shrugging and leaning into his side.

"You're so sexy when you're pregnant- All the time." He corrected himself, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. "This morning I woke up a little bit less happy than I am now, and that extra happiness feels amazing. Thank you, Haley James." Nathan said, kissing her head softly.

Haley smiled at him, closing her eyes and sucking in a deep breath. "It was so hard to keep it from you. You wanted another kid so badly." She hummed, leaning over and kissing his cheek.

Nathan pulled open the passenger side door, helping her in. "I'm three for three. Take that, birth control." He laughed, leaning over and kissing her, before rushing around the car. "I wasn't going to give up on begging you, just so you know. You would of given in eventually." He hummed, getting into the car. He leaned over, kissing her deeply.

Haley rested her hand on his cheek, gently pulling his face closer to hers, before her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Mm, you do not understand how nice it is to see you on stage again. Seeing you perform and announce you're pregnant in the same day? Christmas came a week early." He whispered, kissing her once more.

Haley smiled, gently brushing her fingers through his hair, "I can't believe you actually did it. Well, I guess I shouldn't be too shocked. You are a Scott. Dan got Karen and your mother pregnant, Keith got Karen pregnant, you got me pregnant, Lucas got Peyton pregnant... Notice a pattern?" She laughed. "Let's make sure Jamie never has sex." She shook her head, looking at him.

"I love you." He said softly, smiling brightly at her. He grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers. Nathan leaned over, kissing her cheek softly. "I can't believe we're having another baby." He said softly, closing his eyes. "I'm just going to say it now, but I hope it's a boy." He shrugged, chuckling quietly.

"What happened to beautiful girls just like me?" Haley laughed, raising her eyebrows and squeezing his hand.

"I have one, Lydia. And I was expecting her to like basketball, but just like her mother, she couldn't care less." He hummed, shaking his head. "Boy, girl, boy, and if we decide to have another, then another girl." He shrugged.

"You've just got this all planned out, hm?" She laughed, kissing his cheek. "We really should of planned our children better. Lydia and Jamie are so far apart. I guess not as far apart as Sawyer and their next kid will be, but still. If we have another, we need to make sure he or she is closer in age to this one." Haley hummed, nodding her head.

"Jamie is way older than this baby. It's fine, that's what we get for having a baby when we're eighteen." He shrugged, beginning to drive home.

"After this baby, we can have our own basketball team." Haley said, shrugging. "Five on the court, at least." She hummed, squeezing his hand.

Nathan looked over at her, "Damn you're sexy when you show me your basketball knowledge." He laughed, winking at her. "I think Jamie and I would do best on our own. You would be no help, Lydia would be no help. Baby Scott would be more helpful than you." He teased.

Haley rolled her eyes, leaning over and kissing his cheek. "Whatever, this kid is going to be a singer." She said, gesturing to her stomach.

"Whatever, baby. You know that won't happen." Nathan replied, kissing her knuckles. "Jamie got your height, I need at least one kid to carry on my legacy." He joked.

"Okay, Dan." Haley said, shaking her head, poking his arm.

"Not funny, Haley. I'm not forcing it onto them." Nathan chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"I know, honey. You're an amazing father, and you have been to each of our kids, and you will be to however many more we have." She hummed, rubbing his arm softly.

"How did you figure out you were pregnant?" He asked her, glancing over at her.

"I was late, so I took a pregnancy test and bam." Haley informed him, shrugging her shoulders.

"I'm so excited, Haley. You have no idea." He said softly, gripping onto her hand tightly.

"I think I have some idea, since I'm going through it too." She laughed, kissing his hand, gently rubbing his knuckles.

"I can't believe you kept it from me for a week. I've told you almost every day since we got home from Paris that I wanted to have a baby, and you kept telling me no. How often do you lie to me?" He joked, smirking slightly.

"Oh come on, this was a good lie. I wanted to surprise you." She hummed, letting go of his hand and beginning to scratch her fingernails up and down his back through his shirt.

Nathan leaned forward a bit, nodding his head, "I guess I'll forgive you, since you're pregnant. Three kids. Wow." He hummed, smiling brightly.

A few minutes later, they pulled into the garage, taking note that Quinn's car was out front.

"I knew she'd be here." Haley chuckled, watching at Nathan rushed to her door, pulling it open. She thanked him softly, getting out of the car.

"Just a second." Nathan hummed, looking down at her and wrapping his arms tightly around her waist, pulling her into a deep kiss.

Haley rested her hands on his chest, gripping his shirt gently and pulling him closer to her. "Damn that's good. You can't do that to me right now, we have to go inside." She whispered against his lips.

"We're pregnant." He said softly, resting his forehead on hers. "We're having another baby, Hales. This is so exciting." He hummed.

She smiled, kissing him once more, before hugging him tightly. "I hope the kids feel that way too. We'll see though. I'm worried Lydia will be upset because she's not the youngest. Jamie will probably be fine, he's always been mature." Haley said softly, gently brushing her hands up and down Nathan's torso, taking a second to admire the way his defined muscles felt under her palms.

"Come on, you. Let's get inside and see our kids." He hummed, nuzzling his nose into her hair, before pulling her inside.

"They're home!" Quinn yelled out, rushing to them, Brooke walking in behind her, followed by Jamie and Lydia. "Why didn't you tell me, Haley?" Quinn asked, frowning at her.

"I wanted to surprise everyone!" Haley defended herself, shrugging slightly and laughing.

Quinn pulled her into a tight hug, "You told Brooke." She shrugged, "Oh, who cares! We're both having babies! Our kids will be best friends and each others favorite cousin, I can feel it." She grinned.

Haley hugged her sister tightly, shaking her head in Brooke's direction, before smiling slightly.

Brooke mouthed the word 'sorry' before rushing over and hugging Nathan. "Geez, Nate. That's two out of three that I knew before you. I guess we know who comes first now." She laughed, smiling at him.

"Oh, whatever Brooke." He grumbled, shaking his head before hugging her tightly. "I'm too happy to care that you definitely come first in my wife's life." He joked, smiling over at Haley.

"That's right. Don't forget it. Okay, goodbye all. Thank you for letting me watch your angel children today while my husband stays home with my demons. It was a real breather." Brooke laughed, hugging Haley quickly. "I'm so excited for you, Tutor Mom to three. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" She hummed, nodding at Haley before heading out.

Jamie looked over at Haley, who was still being hugged tightly by Quinn. He blinked when Quinn started to cry, before looking at his dad with wide eyes when Haley started to tear up too.

"Just ignore them." Nathan chuckled quietly, looking at his children. "So... What do you guys think?" He asked them cautiously, glancing over at his crying wife.

"I think it's fine. I'd prefer you have a baby now rather than when I'm old enough to have my own children." Jamie chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm actually pretty excited. It's going to be a boy, I know it." He grinned.

Nathan nodded, pulling Jamie into a quick hug. "Good man. Tell your mom that once she's done with... Whatever is going on over there." He chuckled, before kneeling down in front of his daughter. She was silent, which was very unusual, just staring at him with her big brown eyes that were identical to Haley's. "Well?" He asked her softly, smiling slightly.

"I want a sister. One my age." Lydia said, nodding her head and shrugging.

"Well, I don't know how that's going to work out but we'll do our best." He replied, kissing her head softly.

"I don't want a brother at all. I have Jamie." She reminded him, pointing at Jamie. "Brothers aren't fun." She grumbled.

Nathan glanced over at Haley, sighing softly. "I have a brother, and he's one of my best friends, Lydia." He assured her, shrugging. "And I have three sisters now, and I like my brother better." He glanced over at Haley and Quinn, before leaning over and whispering to Lydia, "And your mom has three sisters, and I like her brothers better." Nathan chuckled, holding his finger to his lips to tell her to be quiet.

Lydia giggled quietly, looking over at Quinn, "Okay. I still want a sister but I will love a brother." She looked up at Nathan, before hugging him tightly. "What happens when Mommy has a baby? How did it get there? How long do we have to wait?" She asked him.

Nathan let out a deep sigh, glancing over at Haley who was still hugging Quinn, "Here sweetheart. How about we go have some ice cream to celebrate, and we can talk about this when you're a little older? But to answer one of your questions, it takes nine months until the baby will be here. The same goes for Quinn and Megan too, but their babies will be here a little before ours." He said softly, sucking in a deep breath. "Alright, kids. Let's go get you some ice cream." Nathan said, picking up Lydia, resting his hand on Jamie's shoulder and leading them to the kitchen.

Haley looked at Quinn, wiping her eyes. "You don't get to cry anymore. Because I don't want to cry anymore and if you keep crying then I'll keep crying." She said, letting out a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm just so excited for you guys." Quinn hummed, hugging her again. "I bet Nathan is really excited, huh?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

Haley nodded at her, smiling brightly. "I think he's holding back a little bit, but I'm pretty sure he wants to stand on top of Karen's Cafe and yell it out." She laughed.

"How do you feel about it?" Quinn asked, smiling down at Haley. "You look happy. I know you wanted to wait." She chuckled, nodding down at her younger sister.

"Yeah, I did. But everyone predicted it, and here it is. I'm not upset at all, honestly. I feel like it's going to be really good for us. We've been arguing a lot lately, and I know that things are fine right now, but I was worried for awhile. Not that we were going to get divorced, of course. Just worried." Haley said softly, smiling. "We've both just been acting so jealous lately, which is ridiculous because we both know how much we love each other. I hope this just settles things with the press, and with all the people around us and reminds everyone that they don't actually know what our relationship is like, you know?" She shrugged, running her fingers through her hair. "But I'm pretty excited, despite the fact that it would of been more convenient next year. And I love how excited Nathan is." She said, smiling and shrugging.

"Clay is excited for you guys too. Logan wasn't feeling all that well so he just stayed home. He told me he tried to call Nathan, but his phone was off." Quinn said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Yeah, we wanted to talk to our kids before we talked to anyone else." Haley hummed, smiling slightly. "Which reminds me that I need to turn my phone back on." She laughed, shaking her head. "Deb will come storm our house like you did probably, if I don't answer my phone soon." She laughed, shaking her head.

"I'm so so excited for you guys, Haley. You're amazing parents. Plus, I knew that Nathan could do it." Quinn teased, winking at her. "But you want to know what's not fair? You announced your pregnancy on television, while husband kidnapped mine and took him to Chicago then announced mine to you all while he was hungover." She laughed, shaking her head quickly. "That's just messed up." She hummed softly, hugging Haley again.

"Yeah, I'm still sorry for that. I don't think he is, but I am so that should count for something." Haley laughed, smiling at Quinn. "You predicted I would be pregnant by Christmas, and here I am. I'm sorry if I stole your thunder or anything." She said, shrugging.

"Haley, you didn't. I'm glad that we're both pregnant. The sad thing is that now I can't make you drink beer and eat sushi for me, like you made me do for you." Quinn laughed, "And besides. This is my first pregnancy, and this is your third. Mine is bigger news." She joked, hugging her tightly. "Our kids are going to be best friends like we are." She said softly, smiling brightly.

Haley nodded her head, "They better be. Same with Megan's baby. I better call her soon too." She said softly, nodding at Quinn.

Quinn nodded her head in return, "Well, I love you. I'm going to head home now and let you be a family. I'm so excited for you guys, really." She said softly, giving Haley one last hug, before heading out of the house.

Nathan looked up at Haley as she walked out of the bathroom, smirking at her slightly.

"You look beautiful, Hales." He hummed, winking at her and nodding his head.

"Nathan, I'm wearing a bathrobe." Haley replied, gesturing down at herself and rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, but I know what's under the bathrobe and I'm just telling you in advance. Plus, you look beautiful in everything." He grinned at her, standing up. He walked over to her slowly, gently resting his hand on her stomach.

She smiled at him, resting her hand on top of his, "I love you, Nathan." She said softly, leaning forward and kissing his chest once.

"You must love me a lot. Twelve days of Christmas lingerie and a baby. What a month it's been." He chuckled, leaning down and kissing her softly.

Haley wrapped her arms around his neck, brushing her fingers over the short hair on the back of his head. "I do love you a lot." She said softly, resting her forehead against his.

"We're having another baby." Nathan said softly, closing his eyes and smiling at her. "I wish I could just skip the next nine months and he could be here now." He chuckled, blinking his eyes open.

"This baby could be a girl, you know." Haley laughed, gently rubbing his neck.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just messing with you. I'll love this baby regardless of gender." He hummed, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. "Christmas is the best." He chuckled, looking down at her.

"Yeah, it really is." She said softly, smiling up at him.

"I can't believe there's only a week left. Did we get everything for the kids?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"Almost everything. I still have a few things on my list that I was going to pick up tomorrow. Which reminds me- we need to talk about tomorrow. With their Christmas break starting, we need to figure out what we're going to do with them." She laughed.

"Well Jamie can stay and watch Lydia." Nathan shrugged his shoulders, smiling down at her.

"I don't know about that..." Haley trailed off, frowning slightly.

"Come on, Hales. He's thirteen. They'll be fine. Plus, Clay and I are not planning on working much this week, so I'll be home a lot." He said softly, pulling her closer to him.

"Clay and I? Mm, you're sexy when you use good grammar." She laughed, kissing him quickly. "Okay, I actually have a lot of wok to do this week, with the cafe and with the studio. So I'll be home as much as I can, but we'll see. And I have to finish up Christmas shopping." Haley hummed softly, smiling up at him.

"Okay, well let me know if you need any help. I don't want my girl to exhaust herself." Nathan said softly, before tugging on the tie that held her bathrobe closed. "Now, let's get down to business." He said, smirking at her, before untying it and pushing the bathrobe off her shoulders.


	38. Chapter 38

**I don't own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 38**

"Can we go wake up the kids?" Nathan asked, poking his wife softly.

Haley let out a deep breath, opening her eyes and glancing at the time. It was right around 5:30 in the morning. "You're kidding me?" She said, shaking her head and closing her eyes.

"Come on, Hales. It's Christmas." He begged her, sitting up and looking down at her.

"Nathan, I'm sure that Lydia will be in here soon to wake us up, but why not get as much sleep as we can?" Haley asked him, rolling on her side so her back was to him.

"Haley. I didn't get to do this when I was a kid." Nathan tried, gently rubbing her back, looking down at her.

She let out a deep sigh, rolling back over so she was facing him. "That's just not fair." She mumbled, shaking her head.

"I don't play fair." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I know. You do this to me every year. I grew up with waking up early, and now I like sleeping in better. So give me another half hour," Haley said, looking at him.

"Besides, I'm pregnant. I need my sleep." She mumbled.

"Fine. You got me with that one. I can wait a little bit longer." Nathan grumbled, kissing her head softly.

Haley smiled at him, resting her hand on his stomach and tugging on his shirt softly to pull him so he was laying down once again. "You and Jamie look so cute in your matching pajamas." She hummed, kissing his cheek softly.

Nathan looked at her, shaking his head and chuckling. "The things I do for you." He grumbled out, kissing her forehead. "Go back to sleep, Haley. Before I change my mind and make you come down the stairs." He mumbled, letting out a small sigh and grabbing his phone.

She looked up at him, pinching his cheek softly, brushing her thumb over his scruff. "I love you, Nathan. I'm glad that your excited for Christmas. You're a great father. I'm so proud of the man you've become." She hummed, kissing his cheek softly and cuddling into his side.

"Okay, okay. Stop trying to butter me up. Just tell me when you want to get up and we'll get up then." He chuckled, holding onto her tightly. "I'm just excited to see the joy on their faces. Nothing wrong with that." He hummed, shaking his head.

Haley smiled at him, "You make my heart race, Nathan. Really, I'm not saying it to butter you up. I just think about what your childhood was like, and how your family didn't care much for Christmas, and then I see how amazing you are now." She kissed his chest softly, resting her hand on his stomach.

He smiled slightly, hugging her tightly to him. "Go back to sleep, Haley. Or I'm waking them up right now." Nathan chuckled, looking down at her.

"Okay, okay. Thank you for letting me sleep for a little bit longer." Haley chuckled, nuzzling her nose against his cheek, resting her head on his shoulder, throwing her leg around his waist, snuggling into his warm body.

They had not gotten to sleep in much longer than that, because Lydia ran into their room and woke them up. Nathan and Haley were currently sitting on the couch, watching The Grinch, while Jamie and Lydia were both asleep on the floor, Max laying with his head on Lydia's stomach.

"Lucas and Peyton should be coming over soon." Nathan said softly, glancing down at Haley.

Haley rested her head on his shoulder, smiling up at him. "Are you going to tell me what you got Lucas for Christmas?" She asked him softly.

He shook his head, "No, I'm not planning on it. It's a surprise." He chuckled, kissing her head softly. "Should we get dressed, or just stay in what we slept in?" He asked her, humming softly.

"I think we should just stay in this." She said, shrugging. She pushed her hand into the collar of his shirt, gently pressing her hand against his warm shoulder, scratching her fingernails lightly along his skin.

"Your hands are cold." Nathan laughed, looking down at her and smiling.

"I guess it's a good thing I married such a warm husband." She hummed, kissing his chest lightly, looking up at the TV.

After a minute, Nathan looked down at her and blinked in surprise. "Haley, are you crying? What's wrong?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"It's just so sad that the Grinch steals all of their Christmas stuff." She said, shaking her head. "Dammit." She mumbled, pressing her face into Nathan's chest.

He chuckled quietly, wrapping his arm and pulling her closer, "There, there." He laughed, holding onto her tightly.

"Don't laugh, Nathan. This is your fault." Haley grumbled, looking up at him.

"You're right, honey. It's my fault." He hummed, kissing her head, gently rubbing her back.

"It is." She responded, pulling her hand out of his shirt and shaking her head.

"Hey, don't stop doing that. It was relaxing." Nathan protested, pulling her closer to him.

"You're laughing at me for crying because you got me pregnant." Haley said, shaking her head.

"Hales, baby. I'm laughing because you're crying that the Grinch stole everyone's stuff." He shrugged, smiling at her.

She let out a deep breath, shaking her head. "I'm sorry." She mumbled, closing her eyes.

"It's okay, honey. It's my fault. But I don't regret a thing." Nathan hummed, smiling down at her.

Haley kissed him softly, before resting her head on his shoulder once again, wrapping her arm around his stomach.

"Want to know something crazy? I'm the only guy in the world that knows what it's like." Nathan said softly, looking down at her.

"Knows what what's like?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Knows what it's like to be married to the most amazing woman in the whole entire world. I feel bad for everyone else because they don't have a Haley Scott in their life." Nathan hummed, holding her close to him.

"You're so sweet, Nathan. Merry Christmas." She said softly, rubbing his side lightly.

"Merry Christmas, baby. Maybe next year you can get me another kid." Nathan chuckled, winking at her.

"Let's make it through this one before we start talking another." Haley laughed.

Nathan rested his hand on her flat stomach, kissing her quickly. "You're pretty amazing, Mastermind. This means you'll be able to fit into your costume again." He said, smirking.

Haley hit his side softly, shaking her head. "Shush." She laughed, nuzzling her face into his shoulder.

"I'm just saying. Maybe you can bring the trio back. Go save some more lives." He hummed, pulling her closer to him.

"Maybe we will." Haley hummed, kissing his cheek quickly, rolling her eyes.

"I sure hope so." Nathan chuckled, standing up after a second. "I totally forgot about the hat I made. I'll be right back." He said quickly, rushing out of the room.

Haley raised her eyebrows, watching him and shaking her head. She looked down at her sleeping children, smiling brightly. They were so cute. Her and Nathan had done good.

Nathan returned a few minutes later, wearing a Santa clause hat that had mistletoe tied onto it. "Check me out." He laughed, winking at her. "I love mistletoe. It means you have to kiss me." He grinned.

"Really?" Haley laughed, shaking her head. "I never understood how much you loved it. You only put some above our bed, and you only keep some in your pocket during the month of December." She hummed, standing up. "Well, stud. Come lay one on me." She grinned, gesturing for him to come towards her.

Nathan smirked, hurrying over to her, resting his hands on her cheeks, pulling her into a kiss.

Haley's arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer to her.

"Woah, Nate. She's already pregnant." Peyton laughed from across the room, raising her eyebrows.

Nathan looked over at her, shaking his head. "Bite me, Sawyer." He grumbled, kissing Haley's forehead.

"I'll leave the biting to your wife." Peyton smirked, looking at Lucas and he walked into the house.

"Mistletoe hat? Nice." Lucas chuckled, setting down a box filled with presents. "Sawyer!" He called out, looking outside.

Nathan pulled the hat off his head, sighing softly. "It would be nice for you to knock every once and awhile." He grumbled, smiling at Sawyer when she walked into the room. "Look who it is! My favorite niece."

"I'm your only niece on this side, Uncle Nathan." Sawyer laughed, walking over and hugging both Nathan and Haley.

"Yeah, but you're my favorite out of all my nieces. Trust me, Haley's family is crazy." He chuckled, winking at his wife.

"Yeah, mom tells me not to listen to things that come out of your mouth." Sawyer shrugged, giggling quietly.

"What are you? Nine?" Nathan asked, raising his eyebrows.

Sawyer nodded her head, "Yeah."

"Okay, listen to your mom until you turn ten, then you can start listening to me." He chuckled, walking over and waking up Jamie and Lydia. "Hey guys. Uncle Lucas is here." He said, smiling down at them.

Lydia sat up quickly, attempting to pick the ever growing puppy up, before just deciding to grab him by the called, dragging him along with her, rushing over to Sawyer and grabbing her hand, pulling her over to show her what she'd gotten for Christmas.

"Dad, why did you let me fall asleep on the floor?" Jamie grumbled, stretching and nodding at Lucas. "Hey Uncle Lucas." He smiled, standing up slowly.

Lucas grinned at him, pulling him into a tight hug. "You taller than your mom yet?" He laughed, smiling down at him.

"Getting close." Jamie replied, looking over at Haley and smirking. He waved at Peyton, "Hey Aunt Peyton." He smiled, nodding at her.

"Hey Jamie! Merry Christmas!" Peyton said, hugging him. "I hope you got everything you wanted." She hummed, looking over at Nathan and Haley.

Jamie nodded his head, "Yeah, my parents love me a lot." He grinned, nodding towards his parents.

Haley looked up at Nathan, "Aw, Nathan. Did you hear that?" She asked, tearing up a little bit.

Nathan chuckled, kissing her forehead. "Hales, he's just being a kiss ass." He mumbled, shaking his head.

After exchanging gifts with one another, Nathan stood up. "Okay, I have to go get Lucas' present. I'll be right back." He said, hurrying out of the room.

Lucas raised his eyebrows, glancing over at Haley. "What is it?" He asked, chuckling quietly.

"I have no idea, he wouldn't tell me." Haley said, wrapping her arm around Jamie's shoulders, hugging him tightly.

Nathan returned a minute later, holding out a basketball, handing it to Lucas.

"A basketball?" Lucas chuckled, raising his eyebrows.

"Ah. Wait." Nathan laughed, pulling out a marker and signing it. "Boom. There you go. Sell it on eBay." He joked, smirking slightly.

Haley raised her eyebrows, "Nathan. You couldn't tell me you were doing that?" She frowned.

"Okay, okay. Fine. That's not it. I was just seeing your reaction. Note to self, don't joke with your pregnant wife." He laughed, shaking his head.

"Funny." Haley said, poking him softly. "You've had me waiting for a few weeks. Now get on with it." She hummed.

Nathan let out a deep breath, pulling a folded up piece of paper from his pocket, handing it over to Lucas.

Lucas raised his eyebrows, unfolding it and reading over the paper, standing up quickly. "Nathan, I can't accept this." He said softly.

"Come on, Lucas. Just take it." Nathan replied, nodding at him.

"This is too much, little brother." Lucas said quickly, shaking his head, sucking in a deep breath to get rid of the tears in his eyes.

"Don't cry on me, man. Just take the gift." Nathan said softly, nodding at him.

Lucas pulled Nathan into a tight hug, sighing softly and letting out a deep breath.

Nathan chuckled, patting Lucas'a back softly. "Luke, I swear... If you start crying." He mumbled, shaking his head.

"You're the best brother ever, man. Wow." Lucas said, looking down at the paper.

Haley and Peyton looked at each other, raising their eyebrows.

"Well... What is it?" Haley asked softly.

"Your husband might of done something to finally be worthy of you, that's what it is." Lucas chuckled, hugging Nathan again.

"Lucas, tell us what it is." Peyton urged him, raising her eyebrows.

"He bought me Keith's shop." Lucas said softly, looking down at the paper.

Haley raised her eyebrows, standing up quickly. She walked over, grabbing the paper and reading it. She looked up at Nathan. "Nathan, why do you have to get me pregnant? And why do you have to be such a good brother?" She asked, tears running down her face.

"I thought maybe you could use it as a quiet place to get away once you move here, since we've been waiting for a new book almost as long as we've been waiting for Haley's album." Nathan chuckled, smiling at his wife.

Haley hugged Lucas tightly, "I take it back. I want this to be from me too." She laughed, closing we eyes and letting out a deep breath.

"Nice job, Nathan. I'm impressed." Peyton smiled, walking over to him and hugging him tightly.

Nathan held her close, "Thanks, Peyton." He mumbled.

"Are you sure about this, Nathan?" Lucas asked him, looking over at him.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I was driving past it awhile a go and I saw that it was for sale, so I thought I'd check it out. Please, Lucas. Just take it. It's a gift." Nathan said softly.

Haley walked over to him, hugging him tightly. "You are one amazing guy, you know that?" She whispered, looking up at him.

"I try." Nathan chuckled, kissing her forehead.

"You outdid me, that's for sure. I have no idea what to get him next year." Peyton laughed, smiling at Lucas and hugging him.

Sawyer cleared her throat, looking at them. "So... Can I keep the basketball?" She asked, picking it up. "I need to make some money." She shrugged.

"Sure, Sawyer. If you say I'm your favorite Uncle." Nathan said, nodding at her.

"You're my favorite Uncle." Sawyer grumbled, picking up the basketball.

Peyton laughed, "We all know it's my brother. He's cooler than you, Nathan." She shrugged.

"Right now, Nathan is the coolest person ever." Lucas chuckled, walking over to Nathan and hugging him again.

"Luke, enough with the hugs. It's not that big of a deal." Nathan said, shrugging slightly.

"Oh come on, man. It's very generous." Lucas said, smiling at him.

"Okay, I know it means a lot to you and I'm glad I could help boost your happiness." Nathan said, chuckling quietly. "But stop hugging me, and stop thanking me. My wife is pregnant, man. The more you hug me the more she cries." He whispered.

Lucas chuckled, glancing over at Haley. "Okay, okay. I'm done. But thank you, Nathan. Wow." He hummed, ruffling Nathan's hair. "You picked a good one, Hales. Maybe one day he'll be good enough for you." He chuckled.

"I'm your brother." Nathan said, laughing quietly.

"I know that, but I still like Haley more than you. But you're getting there, especially after this gift." Lucas laughed, smirking slightly.

"I don't think I've ever even gotten close to Haley status, well done, Nathan." Peyton teased, wrapping her arm around Lucas.

"You're above Haley. Always have been." Lucas hummed, kissing her forehead.

"Hey!" Haley laughed, shaking her head. "Okay, fine. Smart decision." She said, shrugging.

"You'll always be tied for first in my life, Hales. Don't worry. Tied with our children, of course. All three of them." Nathan hummed, winking at her.

Haley smiled, kissing his cheek softly. "You're tied for first for me too." She said softly, pinching his cheek. "Plus, you're above Lucas on my list, so that must mean you're special." She hummed.

"Suck on that, Lucas. Haley thinks I'm cooler than you." Nathan hummed, wrapping his arm around Haley's shoulders.

"Hales, I'm hurt. After I said all those nice things about you." Lucas laughed, shaking his head.

"He's my husband, Lucas. Of course I think he's cooler than you." Haley pointed on, kissing Nathan's cheek softly.

"Gross. Old married couples kissing." Lucas joked, covering his eyes.

"You do know she's pregnant, right?" Nathan chuckled, patting Haley's stomach.

"Gross, old married couple talking about sex." Lucas chuckled, shaking his head.

"What does that mean?" Lydia asked them, raising her eyebrows.

"Nice, Lucas." Peyton chuckled, "Good thinking that one through."

Haley frowned, shaking her head. "Nothing, honey. It's just silly grown up talk."

"Okay. Sawyer told me to come tell you that she's hungry." Lydia hummed, before hurrying away.

"I guess that's Nathan's cue." Haley said, pointing Nathan toward the kitchen.

"Lucas, go right ahead. She's your kid." Nathan chuckled.

"It's your house." Lucas pointed out, rolling his eyes.

"My wife is pregnant and needs me to stay with her." Nathan protested.

"No, trust me. I don't. Both of you go." Haley laughed, shaking her head.

Lucas tossed his arm around Nathan's shoulders, grinning. "Come on, little brother. I can tell you how great you are. Because you're really, really, really awesome." He smirked, guiding Nathan into the kitchen.

"Haley?" Nathan asked softly, looking down at his wife. They were seated in front of the fireplace in their room, Haley leaning back against Nathan with her head rested on his chest.

"Hm?" Haley responded, blinking her eyes open and looking up at him.

"Do we have to go on that ski trip or whatever with Deb and William? I like to spend New Years here." He frowned, pouting down at her.

She laughed quietly, "Maybe we can stay here and send the kids with them. They've never been skiing before." She hummed.

"I think that's a good idea." He chuckled, rubbing her stomach softly. "Do you even remember how to snowboard? Can you do that when you're pregnant?" He asked, looking down at her.

"I'll probably sit out of this one. Just stay at the cabin with Megan. We have to go though, because they're excited about it and it was a Christmas gift." Haley hummed, resting her hand over his, closing her eyes.

"I would just rather stay here. Maybe I can stay at the cabin with you, keep you warm. I know how you hate being cold." Nathan laughed, pulling her closer to him.

"You have to teach Jamie and Lydia how to snowboard." Haley hummed, looking up at him.

"Okay, fine." He responded, sighing softly. "Merry Christmas, Haley." He said softly, kissing her head.

She smiled, sitting up and looking over at him. "Merry Christmas, baby." She whispered, standing up for a second before sitting down in his lap. "Where's that mistletoe hat when you need it?" She teased him, winking.

"Just use your imagination." Nathan replied, wrapping his arms around her waist, kissing her quickly.


	39. Chapter 39

**I do not own One Tree Hill**

 **This chapter is kind of lame. I'm really not very happy with it. I apologize. It's more of a filler.**

 **Chapter 39**

"What did I tell you, Nathan? I told you that it was going to be cold, so wear your coat. What did you say to me?" Haley asked her shivering husband, raising her eyebrows.

Nathan let out a deep sigh, "Only pansies need coats, I'll be fine. Go right ahead and pack mine." He grumbled, shaking his head.

"And I said 'Are you sure? It's going to be cold.' And what did you say?" She laughed.

"I flexed my muscles and said 'Welcome to the gun show, Haley. It's always hot.' Happy?" He said, sighing.

"I guess maybe you should listen to your wife when she gives advice." She hummed, ruffling Nathan's hair.

"Don't worry, Nathan. The car shouldn't be too much longer." Deb assured him, rubbing his back softly.

"You should of just worn your coat like the rest of us. It's Colorado, not North Carolina." Nicole grumbled, shaking her head.

"I'm cold!" Lydia frowned, looking up at Nathan.

Nathan let out a deep breath, picking her up and hugging her tightly. "Me too." He grumbled.

"Should've brought a coat, Dad." Jamie laughed, shaking his head.

Haley wrapped her arm around Jamie's shoulders, nodding. "Yeah, I tried to tell him." She laughed, shrugging.

"Okay everyone, let's quit ganging up on Nathan. He chose not to wear a coat and now he's living with the consequences." William laughed, nodding at the 15 passenger van that just pulled up. "There it is anyways, let's hurry before he gets frostbite."

Nathan and Haley finally walked into their given room after helping Lydia get settled into the new place, and calming her down after her melt down about missing the dog.

"I don't think Lydia got enough sleep last night." Nathan chuckled, setting his and Haley's suitcases down.

"I don't think her daddy got enough sleep either." Haley replied, shaking her head and smiling at him.

"What makes you say that?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You're a little grumpy, honey." She laughed, kissing his cheek.

"That's because I want to be in Tree Hill, not here."

"Oh come on, Nathan. You love to snowboard and you can teach Lydia and Jamie. They've never been." Haley said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, but you can't snowboard. You'll be sitting in this house and it'll be so boring." He frowned, his hands moving up to cup her cheeks, kissing her softly.

She smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'll be fine. Megan will be here anyways. We just need to figure out an excuse for her to stay. I think she just needs to tell them what's going on." She sighed, shaking her head.

"You stay out of it, Haley James. You can't say anything about not telling people you're pregnant at least she told the father." Nathan laughed, sitting down on the bed, looking around.

"Harsh, Nathan. But if you haven't noticed, we're already in the middle of it." Haley laughed, brushing her fingers through Nathan's hair.

"I know, but she gets to tell them when she's ready. You get no say in that." He hummed, looking up at her.

"I know, I know. It just feels better when you tell people." Haley shrugged her shoulders, kissing Nathan's head softly.

Nathan nodded slowly, smiling up at her. "I really don't want to be here, I hope you know that."

"Oh, I do know that. You've told me a million times, honey. I just don't understand why. Because we've spent plenty of time with William's family, and I thought we were all kind of getting along, except Nicole, of course. So why're you so against spending more time with them?" She questioned him, raising her eyebrows.

"I don't know, I'd just rather spend time with Lucas, or Clay, or Chase. Or even Julian." He laughed, shrugging his shoulders. "Maybe even Chris. Don't tell me you wouldn't rather be home hanging out with Brooke? Or Quinn? Quinn would feel your pain of not being able to drink." He hummed, resting his hand on her stomach.

"So can Megan. And so can you." Haley teased him, winking down at him.

"Me? What?" Nathan asked, raising his eyebrows and sighing. "I see where this is going. Okay, okay. I won't drink." He grumbled.

"I'm just kidding, baby. When I was pregnant with Lydia I made Quinn drink for me, and eat things I couldn't. Since she couldn't do that, it'll probably be you." She hummed, resting her hands on Nathan's shoulders.

"Okay, good. I was worried there for a second." He chuckled, pulling her closer to him.

"We should probably go back downstairs. We can unpack later." Haley hummed, leaning down and kissing him softly, closing her eyes.

Nathan hummed in response, his hands resting on her hips. "We could do that. Or we could let my mom go back to her nanny days and watch the kids for us." He laughed.

Haley smiled at him, "Whatever, Prince Nathan. You have to go entertain your daughter in the snow. She's very excited, you know."

"You're right. My queen awaits me. I better get all of my stuff out of my bag." Nathan hummed, standing up. "Listen, there's also something I need to talk to you about, but it can wait a little while. I have to go hang out with Lydia."

"Wait, wait. Lydia can wait a few minutes." Haley said, resting her hand on his arm.

He smiled at her, grabbing his laptop and plugging it into the wall. "So, I've been taking a lot of time off lately. With work, and stuff. Which is fine, and Clay doesn't mind, but I feel bad." He began, rubbing his neck softly.

"I think I can tell where this is going." She said, sighing softly.

"Clay says he doesn't care, but I've kinda been slacking a lot in this whole partnership thing, Haley." Nathan sighed, looking at her and unzipping his suitcase.

"How long will you be gone, Nathan?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Two weeks." He replied, looking down at his suitcase.

"Two weeks? I thought you guys were doing this thing were you're only gone for one week at a time." She said, scowling slightly.

"We are- we were at least. But I'll be in the United States for most of it, mainly on the west coast. Some of Canada too. So we've talked it through and decided I'll be fine." He shrugged his shoulders, sighing.

"Is Clay going with you?" Haley asked him, crossing her arms.

"For some of it. But Quinn has been having really bad morning sickness, and usually in the mornings she doesn't leave the bathroom until after Logan is off to school. And you haven't had that really, so he'll be with me for a few days." Nathan replied, looking over at her.

Haley sat down on the bed, letting out a deep sigh. "When do you leave?"

"January 13th." He said, sighing softly. "What are your thoughts?"

"I think you know my thoughts, Nathan. Two weeks is a long time. You haven't been gone for two weeks in five years. But it's your career. If you feel like you've been a bad business partner, then you have to do what you have to do." She sighed, shaking her head.

"Damn I'm so lucky to have found a woman like you. Fifteen years and you still put up with me. And every single crazy schedule I've ever had. I don't know how you do it, Haley James Scott." He hummed, smiling over at her.

"Oh trust me, babe. It's not that easy." Haley teased him, letting out small sigh.

Nathan looked at her, "I'm sorry, Hales. I've just been a bad partner. Don't worry too much, alright."

"Nathan, you do realize that I can't help but worry. Every time you walk out the door I worry about you." She said, running her fingers through her hair.

"Come on, baby. Please don't worry. I'll be fine." Nathan sighed, kissing her forehead.

"I know, I know. I just worry about you all the time, Nathan. And I have good reasons too." She said softly, shrugging. "But it's alright. Like you said, two weeks isn't that long. Go play with Lydia now, before she comes storming into our room." Haley hummed, standing up. "I'm going to get us a little more settled."

He nodded slowly, kissing her briefly, "Alright. Let me know if you need anything." He hummed, picking up his stuff and hurrying out of the room.

Haley knocked on Jamie's room door a little while later, humming quietly while she waited for him.

Jamie pulled open the door after a second, "Hey mom." He said, nodding at her.

"Hey. Listen, I need you to do me a huge favor." She laughed, leaning against the doorframe and sighing softly.

"Is everything okay?" Jamie asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I just need you to look out for your dad a little bit tomorrow. I know that sounds kind of crazy, but I'm worried he'll try to do stuff that he used to be able to do, and hurt his back." Haley said, sighing softly.

He nodded his head, chuckling quietly. "Yeah, I could see him trying to do that. Especially with Lydia around."

"He loves to impress you guys. Well, anyone for that matter." She laughed, letting out a deep breath.

"He's going to be okay, Mom. Are you okay? You shouldn't stress too much, might not be good for the baby." Jamie hummed, smiling at her.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." She hummed, kissing his forehead. "Thank you. I owe you one. Just don't let that get to your head, because I'm still your mom and I can do whatever I want." She laughed, winking at him.

"Yeah, yeah. Well, there's actually something I wanted to talk to you about." Jamie said, motioning for her to come into his room.

Haley raised one eyebrow, following him in. "Are you okay?" She asked him.

"Yeah, listen... I know dad already told you about Madison and me. I just wanted to make sure that you're okay with it." Jamie said, shrugging slightly.

"Jamie, I just want you to remember that you're 13. And I know that seems like a big and tough age, it's really not that old. Just keep that in mind." She said softly, shaking her head and shrugging slightly.

"I know, mom. But you also know that I've kind of had a thing for her since I was like six." Jamie chuckled.

Haley nodded her head, "I know that. Also, know that I love your father. But please, Jamie, don't let history repeat itself. Please don't think because we got married at 16, you can get married at 16. Please, please, please don't do that." She begged him, laughing quietly.

"I won't, mom. I won't." He assured her, chuckling quietly and shaking his head. "I don't know how you guys did it. It seems so crazy. Trust me, I won't be getting married when I'm in high school."

"Good. Just make sure you treat her right, and that she treats you right. And no sex." Haley said, shaking her finger at him.

"Mom." Jamie grumbled, shaking his head quickly. "I think this conversation needs to end."

"Alright, alright. I'm going. Thank you for looking out for you dad tomorrow." She laughed, hugging him tightly. "You're a good son, James Lucas Scott. I'm blessed everyday because you're in my life."

"You're a good mom." Jamie hummed, smiling at her. "And I really am excited to have another sibling. I promise."

"I'm glad to hear it. I think Lydia is a little hesitant, but she'll get there hopefully." Haley hummed, kissing his forehead. "Alright. Oh, and I know you brought your play station or whatever, please don't let your dad play all night either. Because if you keep beating him, he won't let you stop. You know that already though." She laughed, nodding at him. "You shouldn't play all night either."

He chuckled, looking at his mother. "Mom. I know." He said, nodding at her.

"Okay, okay. You're shoving me out of your room, I can tell. Just be careful. I'm sure I'll tell you all of this again tomorrow. Well, not all of it but I'll talk to you about your father and safety, and-"

"Mom, you're rambling. I know." Jamie laughed, smiling at her.

"Sorry, sorry." Haley laughed, nodding at Jamie. "Alright, well. That's all I had to talk to you about." She hummed, waving her hand at him. "Don't stay cooped up in here too long. I'm sure your grandmother would love to talk to you." She said to him, before heading out of the room.

A few hours later, Haley sat next to Nathan in bed, the whole entire cabin silent. She watched him while he read his book, sighing softly. The silence was comfortable, so she didn't want to break it, but she just had to find out more from him. "Two weeks, huh?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Haley, I should of talked to you about it, I know. We've been busy doing other things, and haven't had much time to travel around and scout people." Nathan chuckled, closing his book and looking over at her.

"And you've talked this over with Clay? He agreed that you should go for two weeks?" She frowned, sighing softly.

"I talked him into it." Nathan shrugged his shoulders, kissing her cheek. "I've been gone for longer."

"Yeah, but you promised me that you guys were going to cut it down to only a week tops." She said, crossing her arms.

He smiled at her, "You're so cute when you're trying to look mad." He hummed, winking at her. "I'm sorry, baby. But I've been taking a lot of time off and leaving Clay all alone. Plus I'm just about to fire my assistant which isn't going to help things."

Haley sighed softly, kissing him quickly. "Fine, but no complaints out of you when I have to leave." She said, poking his chest, settling down into the bed.

"Oh, baby... You know that won't happen. Being away from you is like tearing me in half." He hummed, looking at her and smiling. He turned off the light by his bedside, laying down next to her. "Feel bad for me. I have to leave my kids, and my pregnant wife."

"Yeah, and you get to go watch people play sports, and talk about sports with people all day. Something you love to do. I don't feel bad for you." Haley laughed, shaking her head.

Nathan smiled, kissing her briefly. "I love you so much, my beautiful, incredibly talented and amazing wife." He hummed, resting his hand on her stomach.

"I love you too, Nathan Scott. Don't ever forget that." She said softly, resting her hand on top of his, leaning over and kissing him softly, squeezing his hand.

"I wish you could go snowboarding with me tomorrow. It's sexy." He chuckled, winking at her.

"Please, we haven't been snowboarding in a long time, Nathan. I probably wouldn't even remember how to do it." She laughed, rolling her eyes.

"You'd do fine. I'll make sure to take a lot of pictures tomorrow, so you can see how awesome Jamie is going to be and how small and adorable Lydia is going to look with a snowboard. I love our kids." He hummed.

"Thank you. I'll send you pictures of me enjoying the warmth of the house while you guys are freezing your asses off." Haley laughed, nodding at him.

"You're one of the seven wonders of the world." Nathan replied, winking at her. "The most beautiful person I've ever laid eyes on."

"You're so sweet, even after fifteen years." She said, smiling at him.

"It's my job to make you feel like the most important person in the world, Haley James. And by loving me, you make me feel like the most important person in the world." He hummed, kissing her quickly.

Haley pulled him closer to her, closing her eyes. "I love you, honey. Thank you for being you."

"I love you too, baby. I'm sorry for not listening to you about my coat. You were right, you're always right. I guess I should know that by now." He laughed, smirking at her.

"Keep that in mind." Haley laughed, kissing his cheek. "Goodnight, Nate."

"Goodnight, gorgeous."


	40. Chapter 40

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 40**

 _Nathan looked around the nearly empty room, tugging on the rope that tied his hands back behind the chair. He looked up when someone walked into the room, narrowing his eyes._

 _"Well, well, well. If it isn't Nathan Scott." The man said, smirking at him._

 _Nathan looked up at him, scowling. "What the hell do you want? What's going on?" He snapped, tugging on the rope again._

 _"Oh, poor old Nathan Scott. Stuck his nose in the wrong place once again. Too bad that Daddy of yours can't save you this time. Or your family, for that matter. It's too bad, really. We would of left them alone, but you just had to be a little bitch and run your mouth." The man growled out, chuckling quietly._

 _"You stay away from them." Nathan snapped. "Do whatever you want to me. But stay away from them." He said, tugging at the ropes a bit harder._

 _"I think it's a little late for that, Scott. What a shame, really. You won't live to make it out of here this time, and if you do... We want to make sure you have nothing left. Bring her in." The man said, looking towards the door._

 _"No." Nathan said quickly, looking up to see someone shove Haley into the room, her hands tied behind her back, and her mouth covered with duct tape._

 _"No, please. Please don't hurt her!" Nathan said desperately, trying to kick his legs free from the chair._

 _The man smirked, pulling Haley up to her feet, ripping the tape off her mouth. "You sure have a beautiful wife, Scott." He said, licking his lips and looking at Haley._

 _"Nathan." Haley begged him, looking at him with desperate eyes. "They took the children." She said, grimacing when the man slapped her across the face._

 _"I bet she's real nice in bed, isn't she?" The man smirked, looking over at Nathan._

 _"You let my wife and my children go! Please! I'll do anything." Nathan yelled out, breathing heavily._

 _"It's too late for that!" The man said, grabbing Haley's cheeks and forcing her to kiss him._

 _"Stop." Nathan begged, tugging at his wrists. He felt a glimmer of hope inside of him when he felt the ropes give away, and fall to the ground._

 _"Damn, she's sexy as hell. Maybe I'll keep her around." The man said, forcing Haley to kiss him again._

 _While he was distracted, Nathan quickly got his feet free, standing up and rushing towards them._

 _The man heard him coming, and pulled out a gun, pulling Haley tightly against him, and holding it to her head._

 _"Nathan." Haley begged, tears streaming down her face._

 _"One more step, and I'll shoot." The man said, smirking._

 _"No, no! Don't!" Nathan said quickly, falling to his knees. "Don't shoot, please." He whispered, his breathing ragged, tears streaming down his face._

 _The man looked at Haley, kissing her one more time, before looking at Nathan. He waited until he'd made eye contact with him, before pulling the trigger._

 _Nathan watched as Haley's limp body fell to the ground. He hurried forward, crying out her name. His wife, his whole world, laying in front of him, and there was nothing he could do to bring her back... Nothing he could do to save her. She was gone_.

Nathan sat up quickly in bed, his breathing ragged and heavy. He looked down at Haley quickly, his eyes wide.

"Nathan?" Haley asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "What's wrong?" She mumbled, sitting up a little bit.

He let out a breath of relief, resting his hand on her leg to make sure she was actually there. "Nothing, baby. Just go back to sleep." He whispered.

Haley rested her hand on his back, tugging on his damp t-shirt lightly. "Nathan, you're sweating, and you're breathing is crazy." She said softly, frowning. "What's wrong?" She asked him, sitting up fully, resting her hand on his chest over her heart. "Your heart is beating so fast. What happened?"

Nathan grabbed her hand, pulling her over and hugging her tightly, kissing her head softly. "I love you. I'm fine, just go back to bed." He whispered, closing his eyes and holding her closer to him.

"Nathan." Haley frowned, brushing his hair off of his forehead. "What's wrong?"

"My back just gets a little stiff when it gets cold. Nothing to worry about." He mumbled, kissing her softly.

She looked at him, raising her eyebrows, resting her hands on his cheeks. She looked at him for a second. He looked so panicked and maybe a little scared. "Hm. Well... Do you want me to give you a massage?" Haley asked after a second, rubbing his back lightly.

"Haley, it's three in the morning. I'll be fine. Just go back to sleep, baby." He said softly, getting out of bed. "I'm going to get a drink of water." Nathan said softly, running his fingers through his hair. "Don't move, okay? Please... Don't go anywhere." He begged her, grabbing her hand.

Haley raised her eyebrows, nodding her head slowly, "Okay, Nathan. What's going on? You're shaking." She frowned, moving to stand up.

"Just tell me that you'll be here when I get back, Haley." He said softly, looking at her.

"I'll be here, Nathan." She assured him, sighing softly.

"Good." He mumbled, hurrying out of the room. He walked down to the room Lydia was staying in, letting out a deep breath and poking his head into her room, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw her in her bed. He then walked to Jamie's room, poking his head in.

Jamie looked over at him, "Yikes. I was afraid you were mom." He chuckled, pausing the game he was playing, pulling out his headphones.

"Dude. What are you doing awake?" Nathan asked him, letting out a deep breath.

"I just want to beat this game before Chuck does." Jamie hummed, shrugging. "You okay? You look a little freaked out."

"Yeah, I'm fine. You should go to bed." Nathan said, shaking his head. "Before your mom catches you."

"Yeah, I will. I just have to beat this level." Jamie said, glancing up at him.

"Okay, but go to bed after that." Nathan said softly, resting his hand on Jamie's shoulder, heading out of the room.

He walked into the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror, letting out a deep breath. Nathan closed his eyes for a second, leaning against the counter once images of Haley on the ground flashed. He pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it at the mirror and kicking an open drawer closed. "Dammit!" He snapped to himself, kicking the counter again, looking at himself in the mirror. His eyes were red, and filled with tears. Nathan squeezed his eyes shut again, letting out a deep breath. He jumped slightly when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist from behind.

"What's going on, Nathan?" Haley asked him quietly, kissing his shoulder, frowning at him.

"I didn't hear you come in here." He mumbled, letting out a deep sigh.

"You were too busy kicking things and yelling." She whispered, hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry." Nathan sighed, looking in the mirror and sucking in a deep breath.

"I know it's not your back, Nathan. What happened? Talk to me." Haley said softly, brushing her fingers over the scar on his ribcage.

"I don't know, Haley. I just had a freaky dream." He mumbled, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"Must have been some dream." She said softly, resting her cheek on his back.

"I don't know if I'll ever get it out of my head. It's been awhile since I've had a dream like this." Nathan closed his eyes, his body tensing up.

"Hey." Haley said softly, frowning. "Turn around and look at me." She said, tugging on his hand softly.

Nathan turned around, blinking his eyes open and looking down at her, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Listen to the words that come out of my mouth. I don't know what happened, but I'm here. Jamie and Lydia are here. We're all fine. Everything is alright, Nathan." She said, resting her hand over his heart. "You're safe."

Nathan pulled her into a tight hug, "I love you, Haley. I don't want anything to happen to you. Ever." He whispered.

"I love you too, baby. Now come back to bed." She hummed, grabbing his shirt, chuckling quietly. "I don't understand why you took this off, but I'm not complaining."

"It was restricting me, and I needed to throw something." Nathan said softly, kissing her head. "I don't think I can go back to sleep, but I'd love to hold you in my arms."

"You can try." Haley said softly, brushing the back over hand over his cheek. "Come on." She whispered, grabbing his hand and pulling him back into their room.

Nathan sat down on the bed, letting out a deep breath, looking at Haley as she laid back down, reaching over and gently resting his hand on her leg. "You better not die before me, Haley. I won't be able to continue on without you." He said softly.

Haley looked at him, sitting up after a second. "Nathan." She laughed, reaching over and resting her hand on his shoulder. "Lay down and try to go back to sleep." She said softly.

Nathan nodded slowly, laying down next to her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Go to sleep, angel."

"You too, Nathan. I'll be here when you wake up, alright? I promise." Haley said softly, rubbing his side lightly, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"You better be here. Go back to sleep, Hales." He whispered, holding her closer to him, sleep eventually overcoming him.

Nathan woke up a few hours later to find Haley awake next to him, looking at her phone. "How long have you been awake?" He asked her softly.

"Not too long." Haley hummed, glancing at the time. "Probably about a half an hour." She said, looking over at him.

"You didn't have to stay in bed." He said softly, lifting up her shirt a little bit, gently rubbing his hand over her stomach.

"I decided that I better. You seemed pretty freaked out last night. Are you going to tell me what you dreamed of?" She asked him quietly.

"I really don't even want to think about it." Nathan said softly, leaning over and kissing her. "I don't know if I can leave you to go snowboarding today."

"You'll be okay. I'm fine, and I'll be fine when you get home. Just don't do anything too crazy, Nathan. Promise me, so I don't stress too much." She said, brushing her fingers through his hair.

"I won't. Promise me you'll stay inside with the doors locked?" He said softly, kissing her head.

Haley nodded in response, letting out a deep breath and standing up. "Come on, you. I need to take a picture of the three of you together before you leave."

"Hales." Nathan laughed, standing up slowly. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him. "Hey. I love you." He said softly, smiling down at her.

Haley nodded her head, "I love you too, Nathan. I don't know what you dreamt about last night, but I have a fairly good idea, and I want you to forget it. Okay? I'm fine. Jamie is fine. Lydia is fine." She said softly, kissing him quickly. "Now, go on. Get ready. Don't want to keep everyone waiting. Don't you want to hit the slopes?" She asked him, smirking and holding up the 'hang loose' sign.

"You're such a dork." Nathan laughed, kissing her forehead. "Wow, I really can't believe you just did that. I don't even know who you are anymore."

Haley laughed, shoving him softly. "Shut up, Nathan. Dress warm. Last time you wore basketball shorts under your snow pants, and that bugged me so much. I made sure to take out all the basketball shorts you packed."

"I know, but then I put them back in there." Nathan chuckled, smirking.

"Yes, but then I took them out again when I put your coat in." She informed him.

"Yeah, but then I put them back in again." He grinned, winking at her.

"I don't know why you felt like you needed them, Nathan. It's freezing." She sighed, shaking her head. "You're going to get sick."

"I won't get sick. I never get sick." He chuckled, hugging her tightly.

"You just jinxed yourself."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Whatever, Haley."

"Don't you 'whatever' me, Nathan Scott." Haley laughed, kissing him softly. "Just- get ready. I'm going to go make sure Lydia and Jamie are awake. Maybe I can make breakfast before Deb wakes up and makes it. Try to get William to let us pay for some of this trip while you're out, would you?"

"Whatever you want, honey." Nathan hummed, hugging her tightly to him. "You stay warm and inside today, you hear me? Don't even think about going outside without a coat. You're looking out for two."

"Actually I'm looking out for five, since I have to make sure you all don't go out without a coat either." She laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I don't want to stop hugging you, can you tell?" He asked her softly, pulling her closer.

"Yep. But it's a good thing I like you." Haley hummed, kissing his cheek. "I promise that I'll be alright, Nathan. So just get ready, okay? I'll see you in a few minutes and you can hug me again."

"It's a date." Nathan hummed, kissing her once more before letting her out of his grasp. "Go, before I change my mind."

A few hours later, Haley was sitting in the living room, reading a book, humming quietly. She looked up when Megan walked into the room, laughing. "So... It's three o'clock and you're just waking up?" She asked, removing her glasses from her face and closing her book.

"Ew, were you reading?" Megan laughed, raising her eyebrows and shaking her head. "I haven't read a book that I wasn't required to read since I was in like sixth grade."

"I was an English teacher, Megan. I like to read." Haley laughed, shaking her head.

"And to answer your question, yes I just woke up. And no, I don't care." Megan hummed, shaking her head. "How long have they been gone?"

"They left around ten." Haley hummed, shrugging her shoulders.

"What happened to you guys last night?" Megan asked, raising her eyebrows. "You and Nathan."

"He just had a nightmare that really freaked him out." Haley said, sighing softly. "He wouldn't tell me exactly what it was, but I imagine it had something to do when he was kidnapped. He gets them every so often."

"He was being loud." Megan chuckled, sitting down on the couch. "How do you deal with it all, Haley? You seem so held together, but you've had an insane life. Hell, you've almost lost your husband multiple times. He jumps off bridges, gets thrown through windows, and gets kidnapped."

Haley looked at her, laughing quietly. "My friends and family are what hold me together. Without them I'd be a mess."

"Do you think if you wouldn't of married Nathan, you'd still be like this?" Megan asked her, raising her eyebrows.

"I don't know if I'd be alive without Nathan, honestly." Haley began, sighing softly and looking at Megan. "I don't know if you knew this, but when my Mom passed away, I was seriously depressed. And... Things got dark for awhile. Nathan was patient with me, and helped me through it. And then I found out I was pregnant with Lydia, which helped." She said, smiling slightly.

"Wow, I didn't know that. I'm sorry." Megan said, frowning slightly. "Just another reason you're so amazing, Haley. You've been through so much but you still end up on top. I guess we all got lucky when my dad married Deb, because we get to have you as part of our family now."

Haley laughed, smiling at her. "I do what I can." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "Anyways, let's talk about you for a second. How're things going?"

"Pretty well, I think. Grayson and I are thinking about getting back together." Megan hummed, nodding her head. "I nearly invited him to come with us, but I think he's a little afraid to be around Nathan."

"Makes sense, I suppose. Just as long as he treats you with respect, Nathan would keep his distance." Haley said, smiling slightly. "Have you thought about telling Deb and William yet?"

"Yeah, I have. I know I'm not that far along, but I feel like I'm getting a little bit bigger, and I think they might catch on soon." Megan said, sighing softly.

"You look great. You still have time before you need to tell them. But I think you should do it soon." Haley said softly, nodding at her.

"I was thinking about doing it this trip. That way if things get awkward, you can sit there and stand up for me." Megan laughed.

"Oh, trust me. I'll defend you in a heart beat. So would everyone else here that knows. You don't need to worry about a thing." Haley assured her, smiling. "I think it would be a good idea to tell people soon."

"You're probably right. I've almost told Deb a couple of times, but I just don't know if she could keep it from my dad." Megan sighed.

"Deb can keep a secret, Megan. I've known her for a long time." Haley said, smiling over at her.

"I'll tell them tonight." Megan said, nodding her head and letting out a deep breath.

Haley smiled slightly, picking up her phone when it started ringing, seeing Jamie's name and picture on the screen. "Hello?" She asked into the phone, raising her eyebrows.

"Lydia! Give me the phone!" Jamie yelled in the background.

"Mommy!" Lydia cried into the phone, pushing Jamie away.

"Lydia, give it to me." He snapped.

"Lydia, honey, what's wrong?" Haley asked, frowning.

"Lydia! Give it to me right now." Jamie yelled at her.

"Mommy, Daddy got hurt!"


	41. Chapter 41

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 41**

With those words, Haley's head started spinning. Her mind automatically went to the worst possible outcome, the only thing bringing her out of her thoughts was her crying daughter, and her shouting son.

"Lydia! Shut up! Give me the phone, alright?" Jamie snapped, yanking his phone out of Lydia's hands. "Mom, he's fine. We're going to the hospital right now, mostly just to make sure he's okay. Don't listen to Lydia." Jamie said, letting out a small sigh.

"What happened, Jamie?" Haley asked him.

"Listen, I can't really talk right now. He told us not to call you, but Lydia grabbed my phone and did it." Jamie said quickly.

"I'll meet you there, alright? Where is William?" Haley asked in a shaky voice, biting her lip gently.

"He's looking for Nicole and Jordan. Grandma Deb is going with us to the hospital, and William is going to meet us there after. Look, I have to go." Jamie said, hanging up the phone.

Haley felt her heart pounding in her chest as she turned to Megan. "Nathan is hurt. I have to go to the hospital. Could you call a car while I go get my coat?" She asked her quickly.

Megan looked at her with wide eyes, nodding slowly. "Yeah, of course. Is he okay?"

"I don't know." Haley said, sucking in a deep breath, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.

"I'm sure he's fine." Megan assured her, frowning. "I'll call a car, yeah. Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, no. That's alright." Haley said softly, hurrying away.

The whole car ride over, Haley was terrified. She knew something terrible had happened to him, she just knew it. He probably wouldn't be able to walk ever again. She shouldn't of let him go this morning.

She rushed into the hospital, finding Deb, Jamie, and Lydia sitting in the waiting room.

"Mama!" Lydia cried out, rushing to her.

Haley kneeled down, pulling Lydia into a tight hug. "Shh... It's okay baby, everything is going to be fine." She whispered, trying to convince herself of that as well as Lydia.

"He was bleeding a lot!" Lydia cried out, pressing her face into her mother's neck.

Haley looked up at Jamie, who nodded his head. "He's going to fine, Lydia. Don't worry about it. Your daddy is tough."

Jamie walked over, hugging Haley once she stood up. "He's okay. He didn't want to worry you so he told us not to call."

Deb walked over to them, smiling at Haley. "I'm sure they'll let you go back there with him. I wanted to stay out here and make sure Lydia and Jamie were alright."

"Is he okay, Deb?" Haley asked her mother in law quietly, hugging her tightly.

"We're trying to stay positive, especially for Lydia's benefit, but I honestly have no idea." Deb said softly, giving Haley a tight squeeze.

Haley sucked in a deep breath, nodding her head. "Okay." She said softly, hugging Jamie again, before leaning over and kissing Lydia's forehead. "I'm going to go see him, now. Be good for Grandma, okay?" She said softly, nodding at her children. Haley walked up to the front desk, sighing softly. "Hi, I'm here to see Nathan Scott." She said softly.

"We were told not to let anyone into Mr. Scott's room, unless it was family." The woman said, not bothering to look up.

"I'm Haley Scott, his wife." Haley said softly, tapping her fingers on the front desk.

The woman looked up, recognizing Haley immediately. "Oh, I'm so sorry! We just have to be careful with higher status patients. Sometimes fans try to get into their rooms and things like that. I apologize. I'll have a nurse come right out and show you to his room."

Haley nodded her head, letting out a deep breath. Once a nurse entered the room, she followed her down what felt like a million hallways to her husband's room.

The nurse poked her head into the room, "Dr. Simons? Haley Scott is here." She said, glancing over her shoulder at Haley.

"Let her in." Dr. Simons said, nodding his head, wiping some blood off of Nathan's face.

Haley walked into the room slowly, looking at her husband, who was sitting on the exam table, blood dripping out of a wound on his forehead. She let out a deep breath when he waved at her, pinching the bridge of her nose and sitting down slowly.

"Hello, Mrs. Scott. I'm Dr. Simons. It's nice to meet you. Your husband is fine." He assured her, smiling slightly. "He's going to need stitches for the wound on his forehead and he dislocated his clavicle but we got it back in place, he may be sore for a couple of days. He doesn't have a concussion, and we still want to check out his back. I'll be right back. Nathan, if you could hold this to your head to try and stop the bleeding a little bit, that would be helpful." Dr. Simons hummed, handing him a towel then hurrying out of the room.

"Nathan Royal Scott, you scared the hell out of me." Haley said quickly, frowning at him and standing up.

Nathan looked at Haley, "Yikes. The middle name. I told the kids not to call you." He said, shaking his head and laughing.

"This isn't funny, Nathan." She snapped, letting out a deep breath. "What happened?"

"I was being stupid, Haley. What usually happens?" He asked her, shrugging.

She looked at him, pinching the bridge of her nose and letting out a deep breath. "You know what..." She trailed off, sitting back down and shaking her head. "I'm not doing this right now. Let's just not talk."

"Probably for the best. Stress isn't good for the baby." He pointed out.

Haley looked at him, kicking his leg. "Did that hurt?"

Nathan raised his eyebrows, nodding at her. "A little."

"Good." She grumbled, running her fingers through her hair, gently biting down on her thumb and looking at the wall, letting out a deep breath.

"Haley..." Nathan began, his voice softening. He could tell she was holding back tears, which meant he needed to be careful with what he said next. He searched for the words that would make her feel better, and calm her down, but they wouldn't come, and he was going to blame that on the pain in his head. He opened his mouth to speak, looking over when Dr. Simons walked back into the room.

"Well, I'm back. Let's get that forehead all stitched up. You know, I almost sent you away because I'm a huge Denver Nuggets fan, and I recall you dunking on us like a thousand times, but then I decided that it might be nice to put you through the pain of resetting your collar bone." Dr. Simons laughed.

"Yeah, I guess I deserve it." Nathan chuckled, glancing over at Haley, who was watching them silently. "Haley, why don't you go wait in the waiting room?" He suggested.

Haley raised her eyebrow, shaking her head. "What? No. Nathan." She frowned.

Dr. Simons cleared his throat, nodding at her. "Mrs. Scott, if he wishes to be alone then I have to respect his wishes and ask you politely to wait in the waiting room with the rest of your family." He said, turning back to Nathan, focusing on his stitches.

She let out a deep breath, shaking her head and standing up, walking out of the room.

Nathan watched her go, sighing softly. Once his stitches were done, he cleared his throat. "So... My back is actually not feeling that great." He said quietly, shaking his head.

"I see. That may just be from the impact, but I'd like to run some tests if that's okay?" Dr. Simons said, frowning slightly.

"Yeah, that's fine." Nathan said softly.

"Are your legs feeling numb, or weak?" Dr. Simons asked.

"A little weak." Nathan said, wiping his palms on his pants, sucking in a deep breath.

"This could just be from snowboarding. When was the last time you went?" Dr. Simons asked him, raising his eyebrows.

"Let's see... My son was about three. So ten years ago." Nathan said, nodding slowly.

"Yeah, I'm going to guess that's what it's from. But don't worry, we're going to run some tests." Dr. Simons said, sending Nathan a sympathetic smile. "The pain just started, right? It hasn't been going on for days?"

"No. Just since I've been here. And it's not terrible, just uncomfortable." Nathan said, nodding his head. "But I figure I don't want to take any chances on my back."

"Smart move. We'll get you out of here as soon as possible, alright? If you'd like we can call you with the results of our tests?" Dr. Simons suggested.

"Yeah, can we do that instead? I'm sure my kids are a little shaken up, I don't want to make them wait any longer." Nathan agreed, shrugging slightly.

"Yeah. If you need medication, I'll have you pick it up at the pharmacy." Dr. Simons said. "Alright, let's get this done as quick as we can."

"Daddy!" Lydia yelled out once Nathan came into view, running towards him.

"Hey you." Nathan said, kneeling down and hugging Lydia.

"You're okay!" She said quickly, touching the stitches on his forehead carefully. "You were bleeding a lot."

"I know, I'm sorry if it scared you." He said softly, looking up when Jamie, Deb, and Haley walked over to him.

"You did. Jamie said you were fine but I knew he was lying." Lydia whispered, looking over at Jamie.

"He wasn't lying, little bear. I really am fine." Nathan reassured her, chuckling quietly.

"Mama was scared too." She whispered into his ear.

He sighed softly, looking up at Haley. "Yeah, I know." He responded, letting out a deep breath. He stood up, ignoring the pain he felt in his back.

"They were all freaking out. But I knew you were fine, Dad." Jamie chuckled, nodding at his father.

"Thanks, Jame. Where's William?" Nathan asked, looking at his mom.

"I'm glad that you're okay, son." Deb said, hugging Nathan. "I told William just to head back instead. There's a car waiting outside for us, so we better hurry."

"Yeah, alright." He said, smiling down at Lydia. "Come on." He hummed, grabbing onto Lydia's hand.

Lydia stopped him, "Wait, Daddy. I want you to carry me." She pouted, looking up at him.

"The cars just outside, Lydia." Nathan said softly, shaking his head.

"Yeah, but I'm tired." She protested, tugging on his arm softly.

He winced a little bit at the pain that shot through his shoulder, which went unnoticed by Lydia, but not by the other members of the group.

"Lydia..." Haley began, before Jamie cut her off.

"I'll give you a piggyback ride, Lydia. Come on." Jamie said, letting Lydia climb on his back.

Deb and Haley exchanged a glance, before both of their gazes fell on Nathan.

"No." Nathan said, shaking his head. "Don't you look at me like that. I'm fine. My shoulder is just a little sore." He said softly, shaking his head and walking past them, falling in stride with Jamie.

"So, am I still getting the silent treatment?" Nathan asked Haley once they walked into their room, taking a seat on the bed.

"I just wish you'd be more careful." Haley said softly, looking at him and sighing.

"I'm alright, baby. I think you're getting worried over nothing." He pointed out.

"Maybe I am, but maybe I'm not. I just want you to lay down and rest, alright? I know you think you're fine... But can you just do that for me?" She said, resting her hands on his cheeks.

He sighed, nodding his head. "For you. But I can't promise I'll stay down very long."

Haley kissed his head softly, taking a second to examine the stitches on his forehead. "Thank you."

"You could join me." Nathan suggested, smiling at her.

"Yeah, not right now. I may need to sleep with Lydia tonight instead of with you." She said, rubbing his cheek with her thumb.

"Wait- Why? Are you that mad at me?" He asked her quickly, frowning.

"No, I just don't want to hurt you." She said, chuckling quietly.

"No, Haley. I need you with me." Nathan said softly, looking up at her.

She nodded, kissing his head lightly once again. "Alright, baby. Now rest. And tonight, we're going to talk about this little thing that happened today a bit more in depth."

"Just no more using my middle name, please? That's when I know I'm in trouble." He laughed, smiling at her.

"We'll just have to wait and see." Haley replied, kissing him softly, before tapping his chest. "Lay down, Shaun White. Try not to hurt yourself too much."

"I'm impressed you know who Shaun White is." Nathan laughed, laying back on the bed.

"Thank you." She hummed, leaning down and kissing him once more. "Let me know if you need anything, alright?"

"Alright. Maybe send Lydia in here?" He suggested, letting out a deep breath.

Haley nodded her head, resting her hand on Nathan's chest lightly. "You scared me." She said softly.

"I'm fine, Hales." Nathan replied, kissing her hand. "Don't start crying again, please."

"Okay, okay. I'm done. I'm sorry. I'll come back and check on you in a little bit." She said softly, biting her lip and walking out.

Awhile later, everyone was sitting around the dinner table, eating quietly when Megan stood up, clearing her throat.

"Alright. I have something to say." She began, looking over at Haley, who sent her a comforting smile. "I'm pregnant." She admitted, looking over at Deb and William.

Everyone watched cautiously, as William set down his fork, looking up and clearing his throat.

"Excuse me?" He asked, standing to his feet, resting his hands on the table and leaning forward a bit.

"I'm pregnant." She repeated, letting out a deep breath.

Nathan made eye contact with Deb, who raised and eyebrow at him. He shrugged slightly, turning his gaze back to his food.

William looked around the silent table, clearing his throat again. "Did you all know this?" He asked, scowling slightly. "Deb?"

"No, William. This is the first I've heard." Deb said softly, resting her hand on his.

"This is bullshit, Megan! What the hell were you thinking?" He snapped.

"William." Haley said, shaking her head, her and Nathan both standing to their feet.

"Dad!" Megan frowned, biting down on her bottom lip, glancing over at her sisters.

"No, I'm not even surprised. Dammit, Megan!" William said, hitting his fist against the table. "We all know what happens with babies that are conceived out of wedlock, you have perfect examples at this table!" He snapped, gesturing around. "Your mother and me! She's gone! Deb and Dan! What happened with them?" He growled out.

"William!" Deb snapped, scowling up at him. She opened her mouth to talk, but Nathan beat her to it.

Before Nathan could stop himself, he had stepped forward, punching William across the face, knocking him to the ground, out cold.


	42. Chapter 42

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 42**

Nathan shook his out hand, cursing under his breath, glancing down at his step-father. He looked up, everyone staring at him with wide eyes.

"Nathan!" Haley said, shaking her head and letting out a deep breath.

"He deserved it." He responded, making eye contact with his wife.

Deb kneeled down next to William, hitting his face softly to wake him up. "Nathan." She scowled.

"Daddy hit him!" Lydia said, giggling quietly and looking at Jamie.

"Nathan, go upstairs." Haley said, nodding over at him. "Lydia, Jamie... You two can leave the room. Please be careful with your food though, and bring your dishes back once you're done."

"Haley, he was being a dick!" Nathan defended himself, gripping his hand slightly.

"I don't care, please. Just go upstairs and cool off, I'll bring you some ice in a little bit." She said softly, nodding towards the stairs.

Megan watched Nathan trudge towards the stairs, nodding at her as he went past. "That was unexpected." She said softly, biting her lip.

"Yeah." Jordan agreed, looking at Deb. "What about Dad?"

"He'll wake up soon." Deb said, letting out a deep breath.

"Deb, I'm so sorry." Haley said softly, looking around the table. "I'm sorry to all of you."

"Don't be." Megan said softly, squeezing her eyes shut.

"I think I'm going to need to make another trip to the hospital. I just need him to wake up first." Deb said softly. "I have an idea, though." She said, picking up her water and dumping it on William.

William sat up quickly, looking around. "Ah, what the hell happened?" He asked, blinking his eyes.

"We're going to the hospital. Come on." Deb said, helping him to his feet and shaking her head at him. "Megan, I hope that you're happy about this. Kids are amazing." She said softly, smiling at her. "Come on, William. You're done in here. Then I expect you to apologize to your daughter, and everyone else in the room once we return." She shook her head, tugging William out of the room.

Haley looked at Megan, who burst into tears. "No, no... Megan... Don't cry. Please." She said softly, hurrying over and hugging her tightly.

"Megan, I'm sure he didn't mean it." Jordan said softly, shaking her head.

"He's right. Maybe I'm in over my head." Megan said softly, biting her lip.

"No, Megan. He's wrong. He's so, so wrong." Haley assured her, frowning.

Megan let out a deep breath, shaking her head. "I need some time." She said softly, hurrying up the stairs.

Haley let out a deep breath, closing her eyes and beginning to clean up dinner, shaking her head.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at Nathan and Haley's bedroom door. Nathan raised his eyebrows, pulling it open. He blinked in surprise when he saw Nicole and Jordan standing there, holding up some ice.

"Can we come in?" Jordan asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Uh... Yeah." He said, walking inside and taking a seat on the bed, rubbing his shoulder softly.

Nicole handed him the ice, clearing her throat and looking down.

"Don't all talk at once." Nathan chuckled, raising his eyebrows.

"Nice punch." Nicole finally said, kicking her foot at the ground. "I would have done it myself, but I'm glad you did."

"Yeah, if I thought it would make a difference I was about to do it too." Jordan chuckled, nodding.

"Well... Thanks." He said, shrugging slightly.

"He was being an asshole." Nicole grumbled. "So I think you did the right thing, and it pains me to admit that."

"Yeah. Thank you." Jordan said softly.

"Well... Punching people is my specialty." Nathan chuckled, smirking slightly.

"Yeah, so is getting thrown through glass windows." Nicole said, shaking her head.

Jordan elbowed her softly, looking at Nathan. "Sorry about earlier today, too. We never heard how you were doing?"

"A little sore, but I'll manage. Probably can't go out tomorrow though." He laughed, looking down. "Punching didn't help my shoulder though."

"Anyways." Nicole began, glancing over when Haley appeared in the door way. "Thanks for sticking up for Megan. He had it coming, and I hope it screwed his head on straight." She said softly.

Jordan nodded in agreement, "Feel better." She said softly, following her sister out of the room.

Haley raised her eyebrows, holding up some ice. "Looks like they beat me to it. What was that about?"

"Congratulating me on my punch. I'm guessing you're not here to do the same." He said, looking at her.

"Nathan, I don't know why you think that was alright? Sure, he was being a jerk but there were a million different ways to handle that situation." She said, crossing her arms.

"He was verbally attacking his own daughter. And my mom, and me." He shrugged, rolling his eyes. "If I ever said those things to Lydia, you would have knocked me out."

"Our son, whom we're trying to teach that violence isn't the answer, was sitting right there. No wonder he got in a fight." She said, sighing softly.

"Oh really? Because you're one to talk." He scowled, shaking his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Haley asked, frowning at him.

"Oh, I think you know what it means. Let me think... Was it you that attacked Chuck's mom, or me? Or wait, wait... Did I slap a pregnant woman?" He responded, standing up slowly. "How many times have I been to jail since the kid has been born?"

"Nathan." She hissed, taking a step towards him, "Don't. Okay?"

Nathan shrugged slightly, "I'm just saying, Haley. William was being an dick, and he deserved it."

"Okay, so what if one day Jamie decided that you're being an jerk and punches you in the face?" She scowled, shaking her head.

"William isn't my father." He said quickly, rolling his eyes.

"I don't know where you thought I said that, Nathan." She said, raising her eyebrows.

"He's not my father, and he's not our kids' grandfather." He snapped slightly, shaking his head.

"I didn't say that he was, so calm down." Haley said, sighing softly.

"He was being an ass, Haley! He deserved to be punched." He defended himself, shrugging.

Haley stepped to him, poking his chest lightly. "Well you're being an ass to me right now! Should I knock you across the face?" She asked, looking up at him.

Nathan stared down at her, his eyes meeting hers as he took a small step closer to her.

"Stop looking at me like that." She said softly, biting her lip nervously.

"Like what?" He whispered in a husky voice, gently resting his hands on her hips.

"Stop it, Nathan. I'm pissed at you." She said quietly, forcing herself to take a small step back, before her husband quickly closed the distance between them.

"I'm not doing anything, Haley." He responded, smirking down at her.

"You're staring at me like I'm transparent, Nathan. Like you know everything I'm thinking." She whispered.

He backed her up slowly, until her back hit the door, flipping the lock on it, moving forward so their chests were touching. He could feel Haley's heart rate speeding up, causing him to smirk.

"We're supposed to be arguing. You were being an ass." She whispered, closing her eyes.

"Don't close your eyes. If we're going to argue, let's argue." He said, shrugging slightly.

"I'm supposed to be scolding you for punching William." She said, looking up at him.

"I won't tell if you won't." Nathan responded, leaning his head down, beginning to kiss her neck lightly.

"Nathan." Haley breathed out, tilting her head back a bit. "This isn't fair. My hormones are on the fritz."

"If that's your story." He responded, nuzzling his nose into her neck.

"We can't do this right now." She mumbled, shaking her head.

"Come on, baby." He said, kissing her deeply.

Haley responded quickly, resting her hands on either side of his face, pulling him closer.

Nathan smirked slightly, gently sliding one hand up into her shirt, brushing his thumbs over her sides. He winced slightly at the pain the felt in his back, which definitely did not go unnoticed by his wife.

Haley pulled back, looking at him and frowning. "What was that?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Nothing, Haley." He said, moving to kiss her again.

She put her hand up to stop his lips, shaking her head. "Nathan."

"I'm fine." He assured her, sighing softly. "We were having a moment, you know."

"I temporarily forgot that you got into a snowboarding accident today, oh and that you just punched your step father. What's wrong with you?" She asked him, frowning.

"I just hurt my back a little bit." He grumbled, taking a step away from her, before turning and walking to the bed, sitting down. "I wasn't going to tell you."

"You weren't going to tell me?" Haley laughed bitterly, letting out a deep breath, shaking her head.

"I didn't want you to worry." He sighed, closing his eyes, resting his hand on his lower back.

"That's not your call, Nathan. I'm your wife." She said, closing her eyes.

"It's my back, Haley." He shook his head.

Haley let out a deep breath, shaking her head and walking to him, resting her hands on his cheeks. "Nathan." She said, looking down at him. "I guess I'll remind you once again, that you aren't invincible. You might have this rock hard exterior, but on the inside you're soft, and don't like to worry anyone. I don't know why you choose to suffer alone, when I'm here and ready to help you carry the load."

"This is my back, Haley. There's no way for you to help." He grumbled.

"Did you talk to the doctor about this?" She asked him, sighing.

"Yes, I talked to him about it." He let out a deep breath. "It's not good for you to worry, Haley. Why don't you just relax?"

"What did he say?" She asked him softly, gently brushing her thumb over his cheekbone.

"I'm still waiting to hear back." Nathan replied, sighing. "If it was bad news I was going to tell you, obviously."

She closed her eyes, shaking her head and pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. "How're you doing?"

"I'm fine." He sighed, closing his eyes.

"Are you sure?" She asked, gently brushing her fingers over the bandage on his forehead.

"I'd feel a lot better if you'd stop worrying about me. Stress isn't good for the baby, Hales." He hummed.

Haley looked at him, sighing softly. "Yeah, well I'll stop worrying about you when you stop giving me reasons to worry." She whispered, gently biting her lip.

"I'm alright, Haley. It comes and goes. It's not a constant pain." Nathan sighed, grabbing her hands, bringing them away from his face and holding them tightly for a second.

He jumped when his wife burst into sobs, hurrying up to his feet, ignoring the pain that shot through his body. He pulled her into a tight hug, looking down at her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just can't lose you, Nathan." Haley cried, gripping his shirt. "I can't."

"Hey, I'm right here." He whispered, kissing her head.

"I need you to be more careful, alright? I love you, but I can't raise three children without you. I can't continue on without you." She said, looking at him.

"Haley, I'm sorry baby. I really am." He whispered. He sat down on the bed slowly, letting out a slow, deep breath. Once she sat down next to him, he rested his hand on her leg. "We're both pretty messed up, huh?" He said softly, looking at her.

"What makes you say that?" Haley asked him softly, wiping her eyes

"Because I woke up last night terrified of losing you, and now you're terrified of losing me." He chuckled, shaking his head.

"Our past may have given us reasons to worry about losing each other." Haley said softly, looking at him.

"Yeah, I guess we do." Nathan replied, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath. "I'm sorry for being an ass to you, I'm sorry for not being as careful as I should have been. I'm not sorry for punching William, but I am sorry for doing it in front of our children." He said softly, blinking his eyes open and nodding at her.

Haley kissed him softly, "I'm sorry too." She whispered. "I've been very... Hormonal today, and I've kind of been a little stand-offish to you."

"Hey, I deserve it. I woke you up in the middle of the night, then scared the hell out of you, then punched my step father." He shrugged slightly.

"What are we going to do, Nathan? If you're back is worse?" She asked him softly, looking up at him.

"We don't need to think like that until we find out, Haley." He assured her.

"Are you scared?" She asked him quietly, squeezing his hand lightly.

"Terrified." He whispered, looking down. "But you know what? I can't let it eat me apart, Haley. I don't even know if anything is wrong. So don't freak out."

Haley looked at him, kissing his cheek softly. "Life is typically better when you listen to your wife, Nate." She said softly, smiling slightly.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Maybe one day I'll learn." He laughed, looking at her. "Let's just try not to worry until we know what's actually going on, alright? They should call soon."

"I'll try not to freak out." She said softly, picking up Nathan's hand and examining his knuckles. "Are you sore?" She asked him softly.

"My legs are tired, and my shoulder hurts. My head hurts. My hand is a little sore from William's face. Basically I'm a train wreck no matter what. A wheel chair isn't sounding so bad right now." He attempted to joke, shrugging slightly.

"So not funny." She said, shaking her head.

"Sorry." Nathan sighed, closing his eyes. "You know, I forgot how easy it is to make you forget that's you're mad at me." He said, smirking.

"Hey, I can yell some more, if you'd like." Haley said, rolling her eyes and standing up.

"You're hot when you're mad at me." He joked, grabbing her hand and kissing it softly.

"Yeah, yeah. That doesn't mean you should keep trying to make me mad. I'm going to go check on Megan, alright? Please lay down and rest."

"I've done a lot of resting." Nathan pouted, sighing softly.

"Well, I happen to know that you didn't get much sleep last night." Haley shrugged, "I'll be back in a little bit to check on you, alright? Let me know if you need anything." She said softly, smiling at him.

"Yeah, I will." He sighed, letting go over her hand.

Haley looked down at him, kissing him softly. "I love you, Nathan Scott. While I don't agree with the way you handled things down there, it was sweet of you. I think that these girls are growing on you." She said, smirking slightly.

"Go away, Haley." Nathan laughed, rolling his eyes and laying down, waving his hand at her.

She grinned, winking at him and heading out of the room. Haley headed to Megan's room, knocking on the door softly. "Hey." She said, poking her head in, finding Nicole and Jordan sitting with her as well.

"Hey." Megan said quietly, letting out a deep breath.

"How're you doing?" Haley asked, sitting down on the end of the bed, smiling slightly.

"I've been better." Megan said, rubbing her eyes and resting her head on Nicole's shoulder. "How's Nathan?"

"He's fine." Haley said, shrugging slightly. "I'm sorry about him, really. I don't know why that's his go to thing."

"Don't be sorry. He's been doing that for me a lot recently, punching people." Megan said, smiling slightly. "Almost like a protective older brother."

"I wouldn't say that to him." Haley chuckled, nodding her head. "I'm sorry about William too."

"He's a dickhead." Nicole cut in, shrugging. "I hope he feels bad, and I hope his face hurts forever."

"He was surprised. I don't blame him. It's not like Grayson reacted well either." Megan sighed, closing her eyes.

"You know what? Maybe you should think about staying with Nathan and me until you head back to college. If things don't get patched up." Haley suggested, resting her hand on Megan's leg.

"Can we all come?" Jordan laughed, sighing softly.

"I don't know how your father would react to that." Haley said, chuckling quietly.

"I don't want to be a burden, Haley. I can handle myself." Megan sighed, shrugging.

"It wouldn't be a burden, Megan. I promise. But your father will come around, I know he will." Haley said, nodding slowly. "No one can resist babies."

"Maybe I'll think about it." Megan said softly.

"Then we can both make Nathan go on midnight grocery store runs for us." Haley smiled at her. "Because midnight cravings are a pain in the ass."

"Hey, we all have midnight cravings. Pregnant women just have an excuse to indulge." Nicole said, laughing quietly.

"Maybe." Haley shrugged, humming quietly. "So tell me, are you hoping for a boy or a girl?"

"Wow, I don't know. I honestly haven't put much thought into it. I guess I want whatever you're having." Megan chuckled, sighing softly.

"Nathan wants a boy, but I think it's going to be a girl. So I hope you have a girl. Maybe you can name her Haley?" She joked, smirking slightly.

"I'll name mine Haley, if you name yours Megan." Megan smiled.

"Deal." Haley laughed, nodding.

Upon his return home, William sat at the kitchen table, his face in his hands while Deb had gone upstairs to talk to his children. She hadn't said much to him, which he understood because he had gone a little off the handle.

Nathan walked down into the kitchen, raising his eyebrows slightly, shaking his head.

"Nathan." William sighed, standing up slowly.

"I'll hit you again, William. Don't say anything stupid." He grumbled, pulling some Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream out of the fridge for Haley, beginning to scoop it into a bowl.

"I'm not going to fight you." William said, shaking his head.

"You know what- that was a real asshole move, William. She's your daughter. You're like sixty years old. You should know not to run your mouth." Nathan snapped, shaking his head.

"Not sixty, but whatever." William grumbled. "I wanted to apologize."

"Apologize to someone who gives a shit, man. Apologize to you daughter, to my mom. Everyone. You're wasting your time on me. I was just starting to think that maybe this whole situation could work, y'know? But after some of the comments you've made, I've lost all respect for you. She was so scared, William. She's been so scared this whole time. I flew home from Paris because of how scared she was. And she finally works up the nerve to tell you, and that's how you respond? Grayson responded like that too. Bunch of assholes, all of you. And you want to know why I can say that? Because I'm one of those assholes. I reacted that way when Haley told me about Jamie. I was a jerk to her, but I got my shit together. I understand being scared, but I have a daughter too. And a wife. And if I ever spoke to them the way you spoke to Megan, I would kick myself out of their lives. So save your apologies on me, because I don't want to hear them. It's great that you make my mom happy, but don't insult my family, or yours. Because you really don't know anything about us." Nathan snapped, letting out a deep breath.

William nodded slowly, "Well, if that's how it's going to be then I guess that's how it's going to be." He sighed, "But I am sorry for offending you, and for saying those things." He shrugged.

"If you ever speak to my daughter that way, a black eye will be the least of your worries." Nathan said, shaking his head and heading up the stairs.

He found Haley in their room, holding his phone close to her. "What's wrong?" He frowned, handing her the ice cream.

"Dr. Simons left you a voicemail." Haley said softly, handing it to him. "I haven't listened to it." She sighed, closing her eyes.

"I'll listen to it." He said, nodding slowly. Nathan lifted the phone to his ear, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath.

Haley watched Nathan, she so desperately wanted to listen to the message with him, but she wasn't sure if she could take the news. She watched as his eyes filled with panic, before he made eye contact with her, and he went back to an emotionless face, so she was unable to tell what he was feeling or thinking.

Nathan listened to the message an let out a deep breath, looking at his wife. "He said that the tests looked fine. I must've just tweaked my back a little bit. He said that I should probably take it easy for a few weeks." He smiled at her.

Haley let out a sigh of relief, setting the bowl on the night stand and standing up, hurrying over to him and hugging him carefully. "Thank god." She said softly, closing her eyes.

He nodded his head, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her close.

"Does this mean you aren't leaving to go scouting in a couple of weeks?" Haley asked, scratching her fingernails along the back of his neck softly.

Nathan chuckled, rolling his eyes and tugging her closer to him. "We'll just have to wait and and see, my dear." He hummed, shaking his head.

"I love you. I'm so glad you're alright." She breathed out, smiling at him.

He smiled in return, pulling her closer to him and kissing her deeply.


	43. Chapter 43

**I do not own One Tree Hill**

 **Okay, I'm not totally satisfied with this chapter. I'm having a little writer's block when it comes to this story as of lately.**

 **Chapter 43**

"I'm just saying, Hales, maybe if you would've drank less coffee you would be a little taller. Then maybe our kids would be tall." Nathan said simply, stepping into the house, dragging some suitcases along with him.

"Will you ever let it go, Nathan?" Haley laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, mom. It's your fault I can't dunk it yet." Jamie said, shaking his head.

Haley opened her mouth to respond, before there was a loud crash in the backyard. She made eye contact with Nathan, frowning.

"I'll go check that out." Nathan said, nodding slowly. He looked at Haley for a second, letting out a deep breath. "Why don't you guys go wait in the car?"

"Nathan." Haley frowned, grabbing onto Lydia's hand and wrapping her arm around Jamie's shoulders.

"I'll be fine. If I don't come get you in five minutes, I want you to get out of here." He said quickly, kissing Lydia's forehead, nodding at Jamie. "Go." He said, kissing Haley's cheek, before rushing away.

Nathan headed to the back door, poking his head outside. He noted an open beer sitting on the table, and one of the chairs near the pool was knocked over.

He stepped out slowly, looking over. After not finding anything, he turned to around to head back inside, before he was being tackled into the pool.

After resurfacing, he looked around quickly, grabbing the shirt of the person that just tackled him, shoving him up against the pool wall.

"Nate, Nate! Don't kill me!" The guy yelled, laughing loudly.

Nathan shifted his gaze to his face, scowling and releasing him, "Dammit, Tim! You're an idiot." He grumbled, splashing some water at him and climbing out of the pool slowly, shaking his head.

"It was funny!" Tim laughed, climbing out as well.

"What are you doing here, man?" Nathan questioned him, raising his eyebrows.

"Just came to visit my old friend." Tim said simply, shrugging. "Plus, I dropped off Nathan and I don't have to go back to work for a couple more days."

Nathan shook his head, shoving his high school friend back in the pool. He sighed softly, heading back into the house and walking to the garage. "Haley, everything is fine." He grumbled.

"What happened?" Haley asked him, raising her eyebrows and chuckling quietly.

"Tim." He muttered, running his fingers through his wet hair, shaking his head.

"Tim is here? Sweet!" Jamie cheered, pushing past his father into the house.

Lydia laughed, looking up at Nathan, "Daddy, you went swimming without me?"

"Something like that." Nathan responded, looking at Lydia and shaking his head. "Why don't you go inside and grab your suitcase, and take it upstairs? Then we can go get Max from Aunt Brooke's house." He said, smiling at her.

Lydia nodded her head, walking past Nathan and into the house.

"What happened to you?" Haley laughed, ruffling Nathan's wet hair, gently tugging on his shirt collar.

"Tim happened. He tackled me into the pool." He said, shaking his head.

"Did he say what he wanted?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"No. But I'm going to go change. Find out why he's here. I'll take your stuff upstairs." Nathan muttered, heading into the house.

Haley walked into the house after her husband, chuckling quietly. "You're getting my nice hardwood floors wet, Scott. Better come clean this up."

He looked over his shoulder, smiling at her. "Make Tim do it." He suggested, smirking.

"Good idea." She laughed, nodding at him.

Haley looked up when Tim came down the stairs, in dry clothes, with Jamie following behind him.

"Haley James!" Tim said, grinning and walking over to her, pulling her into a hug.

"Hi Tim." She said, smiling at him.

"I was just about to tell Jamie about the time when Nathan and I stole a school bus." Tim said, turning back to the thirteen year old.

"Dad stole a school bus?" Jamie asked, his eyes wide.

"I'd prefer if you didn't tell that story." Haley said, shaking her head.

"Tell it." Jamie said, nodding his head. "No one talks to me about Dad before he met Mom. All he says his that he was a jerk."

"Come on, Haley. Just let me tell it." Tim said, throwing his arm around her shoulders. "I won't tell the little one. Just this one."

"What are you doing here, Tim?" She asked, glancing over at Jamie. "Besides scaring the hell out of my family and pushing my injured husband in the pool."

"I was dropping off Nathan and had some free days before I have to go back to work. So, here I am. It's been awhile since I've hung out with The Scott family." Tim grinned, nodding at Jamie.

"Uh huh? You're here to hang out with the whole entire family?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Well... Not exactly." He shrugged, rubbing his neck. "I'm here to spend time with the entire family. But I have big plans for Nathan and me tonight." He smirked slightly, nodding.

"Dude, I want to come!" Jamie said, nodding quickly.

"Can he?" Tim asked, looking at Haley.

"He has school tomorrow, so probably not." Haley said, rubbing Jamie's shoulders.

"Dammit." Jamie grumbled, sighing softly.

"Alright, you're done. Go to your room." She said, scowling and turning him towards the stairs.

"That's cold, Haley." Tim said, waving at Jamie. "We can hang out later, man. I'll tell you some stories."

Jamie sighed, nodding his head. "Fine." He grumbled, heading up the stairs.

Nathan stepped down the stairs, raising his eyebrows. "What did the boy do?" He asked.

"He said 'dammit' then Haley turned into a mean mom." Tim laughed, nodding at Nathan.

"Nice." Nathan smirked, laughing quietly. "So, what's up?"

"Well, as of last week, I'm freshly single. No girls can handle 'The Tim' but that's not a huge shocker there." Tim said, smirking. "I was hoping that I could find a new lady, possibly for one night, possibly forever. And I thought, who would be a better wingman than Nathan Scott?"

"Uh, Tim... I don't know..." Nathan trailed off, looking at his wife.

"No, no. Don't do this. Come on, man. It's just one night. You can keep the wedding ring on." Tim said, smacking Nathan's chest softly.

"How generous." Nathan chuckled, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

"Nate, let's go out. Just like high school." Tim said, nodding at him.

"You should go." Haley said, resting her hand on Nathan's arm.

"Yeah?" Nathan raised his eyebrows, looking at her.

"Yeah." She said, before turning to Tim. "But, I will have you know, that if my husband gets hurt, does anything stupid, or ends up with a naked stripper in his lap, I will not be holding him responsible. I'll be holding you responsible." Haley said, poking his chest softly, and smiling up at him.

"Understood. I recommend you keep the wedding ring on, for sure." Tim said, nodding at Nathan.

"I was planning on it." Nathan chuckled, looking at Haley. "Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine, Nathan." Haley laughed, smiling at him. "Just- please be careful."

"I'm always careful, baby." He smirked, turning to Tim. "Okay, dude. I'm in."

"Sweet! Maybe we can go beat up Lucas too. Just like high school." Tim said, smirking.

"Hey, I'm down for that." Nathan said, nodding his head. He kissed Haley quickly, "If you need anything, call me. Be careful with the dog." He chuckled, nodding at her.

"You be careful too." Haley said, kissing him again.

"Okay, okay. I will." Nathan said, smiling at her. "Okay, Smith. I have to be home by ten. You may not have to work tomorrow, but I need to." He smirked at his friend, waving at Haley, before hurrying to the garage with Tim.

At around eleven o'clock at night, Haley headed down the stairs, pausing when she heard Nathan and Tim's voices.

"Dude, you remember the one time when we made the whole freshmen team run across the football field naked?" Tim laughed, shaking his head.

"Oh man, I forgot about that." Nathan laughed, taking a drink from his beer and shaking his head. "What about when we had that huge party in Peyton's house?"

Tim nodded at him, "You mean the one where you-"

"Exactly what I mean. That was crazy, man. Peyton didn't talk to me for like a week. She was so mad." Nathan shook his head, "Damn I sucked at being her boyfriend. I would say stupid things every once and awhile, just so we would fight."

"Because once you were done fighting, I wouldn't see you for a couple days because you wouldn't leave the bedroom." Tim chuckled, shaking his head.

"I didn't deserve her, I'll tell you that." Nathan sighed, shaking his head.

"Man, what happened to you? When you were with Peyton, we still hung out, went to parties, and talked up chicks. But once you started dating Haley, it was like that all changed. You went from sleeping with a bunch of different girls every time you and Peyton broke up, to the guy who was okay with waiting until marriage." Tim shook his head, shrugging slightly. "The guy who got random hook ups pregnant, to the guy who got his wife pregnant."

"I didn't get anyone pregnant besides Haley." Nathan pointed out, shrugging.

"But you know what I mean! You went from this stud, to a husband." Tim said, shaking his head.

"I like to think that I was still a stud after Haley." Nathan chuckled, leaning back against the couch.

"I've known you forever, Nate. And she comes into your life and within a couple months, you become a totally different guy." Tim pointed out. "So what happened, hm?"

"It was all Haley, man." Nathan said, shrugging.

"But what did she do exactly?" Tim asked, shaking his head. "Because sixteen years of your life you were one person, then you totally changed."

"I don't think I totally changed." Nathan shrugged slightly, looking over at him.

"But, Nate. You used to be so fun- not that you aren't fun still. Tonight was super fun. But if you'll look around, we don't have any hot chicks surrounding us." Tim waved his hands around.

"Hey, I did my job at the bar. I found you girls, and I talked you up. You're the one that messed it up." Nathan laughed, shaking his head.

"Okay, but fifteen years ago, you would have been right there with me." Tim sighed, looking at him.

"Okay, Tim. I didn't want this to get sappy, but let me tell you something." Nathan began, sighing softly. "You just haven't found the right girl yet. But she's out there. But when you find that person, it makes you want to change. Change to be more like them, because you admire them so much. As you know better than anyone, I went to Haley to mess with Lucas, and if I never would've done that, I don't know where I'd be right now. When you find that person, something just clicks into place. Grass is greener, the sky is bluer- yeah, I know that's really cheesy to say. But Haley didn't put up with my shit. She didn't care that I was 'Nathan Scott the star of the basketball team' all she cared about was helping her friend. And I still admire her so much for that, because she was willing to be miserable, so Lucas wasn't. Fifteen years later, she's still willing to be miserable so Lucas isn't." He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "What I'm trying to say, man, is that she's out there. Your person, that will change you for the better. The person that builds you up, the person that does things for you without being asked. So you go to bars, and you flirt with people, and when you find someone that makes you want to be better, then you hold onto that person." He said, nodding at his friend.

Tim pulled Nathan into a tight hug, "I missed you, Nate."

Nathan sighed softly, shaking his head and patting his back softly. "Look, I'm going to head up to bed. You can sleep in one of the guest rooms. I'll see you tomorrow, Tim." He chuckled. "Jamie got a new video game for Christmas if you wanted to try that out. Make yourself at home, but don't break anything." He said, heading into the kitchen to throw away his bottle.

With the sound of that, Haley hurried back up the stairs and got into bed, wiping the tears off her cheeks, letting out a deep breath.

Nathan walked in a few minutes later, brushing his fingers through his hair. He looked over at Haley, smiling slightly. He took a seat next to her on the bed, kissing her head softly.

He stood up after a second, turning around when he heard her sniffle. "Are you awake?" Nathan asked her quietly, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah." Haley replied, sitting up and wiping her eyes.

"What's wrong?" He asked quickly, sitting back down.

"My emotions are everywhere. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I listened in on your conversation with Tim." She said, rubbing her eyes.

"Which one?" He asked quickly, raising his eyebrows.

"The one just barely. Dammit, Nathan. Do you always speak so highly of me?" Haley laughed, grabbing his shirt.

"You're a pretty high person on my list, Mrs. Scott. I can't help but speak highly of you." He chuckled, kissing her cheek. "This is why you're crying? They're happy tears?"

"I wish I wasn't crying, Nathan. This is your fault. You got me pregnant, and you said nice things about me." Haley said, wiping her eyes and smiling.

"My bad." He laughed, nodding at her.

"You don't think I made you boring, do you?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Hell no. I think you're more fun than Tim ever was." Nathan said, smirking slightly.

She grinned at him, gently touching the stitches on his forehead. "Thank you."

"You're more fun than anyone else, actually." He said, shrugging.

"Yeah? You didn't think that when I forced you to do algebra." Haley laughed.

"That's because algebra is not fun." He responded, standing up.

"How was partying with Tim?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Oh, y'know... I talked him up to some girls, and he ruined it in a span of about five seconds." He laughed, shaking his head.

"That bad?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"No, it was actually pretty fun. Sort of like high school, but the girl I came home to is so much hotter than anyone at the bar." Nathan said, smirking slightly.

"You already have me, Nathan Scott. You don't need to keep buttering me up." She laughed, shaking her head.

"Trust me, I want to." He hummed, shrugging.

"How're you doing? Your back, and shoulder, and whatever else you hurt. I can't keep track." Haley asked him.

"I'm a little sore. But I'll be fine." He said, running his fingers through his hair.

"So sore that you can't go scouting in two weeks?" She winked at him, smiling slightly.

"I'm hoping I'll be all better by then." He shrugged, sitting back down on the bed. "You want to help me get my shirt off?"

"You're ridiculous." She said, laughing quietly.

"Come on." He smirked, looking over at her. "My shoulder hurts too much."

Haley rolled her eyes, "Yeah, whatever." She hummed, scooting over to him.

"Thanks, baby." He grinned at her, winking.

She laughed, grabbing the bottom of his shirt, lifting it up, helping him out of his shirt quickly, pulling it over his head

"Just going to do it like that, hm? No romance at all?" Nathan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You're supposed to be taking it easy, Scott. And I'm tired." She said simply.

"You did that surprisingly quick." He laughed, throwing his shirt over her face.

"Not my first time." She shrugged, laughing quietly.

"I'm going to go shower now. Don't miss me too much. No more tears over me." Nathan smirked.

Haley laughed, rolling his eyes and throwing the shirt at him.


	44. Chapter 44

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **I just love Brooke and Haley so I thought I would add a little bit more of them in this.**

 **Chapter 44**

"Haley James Scott?" Brooke asked when she walked into her friend's house, stopping in her tracks at the sight in front of her. She raised her eyebrows, laughing quietly. "What do we have here?" She asked, smirking slightly.

"Brooke! I wasn't expecting you to come by." Haley said quickly, shaking her head. "I was just... Cleaning up."

"Really? Because it looks like you're taking selfies in Nathan's old letterman jacket." Brooke smirked at her, "Oh, gross. Ew! You're sexting Nathan!"

"Brooke, no. That's not it." Haley said, shaking her head quickly.

"Is this what you do when your kids are at school? Were you guys about to have phone sex? Oh, man. Gross." Brooke laughed loudly. "I can't even remember why I'm here."

"Brooke, that's not what was going on!" Haley protested, shaking her head.

"Do you have a shirt on under that jacket?" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes, I do." Haley shook her head, sighing heavily.

"Do you just sext him when he's out of town, or do you do it like all the time? Do you do it while you're in the cafe?" Brooke asked, smirking slightly. "Plus, there's zero chance I believe you're wearing a shirt."

"I was not sexting him!" Haley said, shaking her head quickly. "And anyways, you're one to talk. Greased Lightning?"

"Hey, I rock that pink jacket." Brooke shrugged, "And I will always rock that pink jacket as long as it keeps doing things for Julian. And, you look like one hot mama in that letterman jacket. No wonder you're sexting your man."

"Brooke." Haley said, shaking her head. "That's not what was going on."

"Hey, if that's your story. I get it. Nathan's been out of town. No judgement passed from me." Brooke teased her, shrugging.

Haley glanced down at her phone when she got a text, before Brooke yanked it out of her hands.

"Oh, it's from Nathan. Damn. What are the odds it's a picture I don't want to see?" Brooke asked. "Oh well, it's nothing I haven't seen before." She smirked, opening up her phone. "This is so boring, are you kidding me? He's just talking about a basketball player he met."

"I haven't even sent him any pictures yet, Brooke." Haley said, shaking her head.

"You were going to initiate it? Damn, Tutor Mom, I didn't know you had it in you." Brooke joked, grinning at her friend.

"I wasn't doing what you think I was!" Haley argued, shaking her head. "I can handle a few days without my husband, Brooke."

"I can tell. Let me see the pictures you took." Brooke laughed, raising her eyebrows.

Haley grabbed her phone out of Brooke's hands, sighing. "No. There's nothing inappropriate about them. I'm a mother. My daughter plays games on my phone all the time."

"Cry me a river, Haley. That poor boy. In fifteen years, you've never sent him a dirty text?" Brooke laughed, raising her eyebrows.

"I didn't say that." Haley shook her head, running her fingers through her hair.

"He doesn't deserve your texts anyways. I heard that he hasn't fired that slutty assistant yet." Brooke hummed, sitting down on the couch.

Haley sat next to her, sighing softly. "Yeah, I know. His excuse is that he wants to be around to protect us if she goes crazy and attacks us."

"What in the world? Does something in your past have to do with that? Do you guys have a history of employees going crazy after you fire them?" Brooke asked her, laughing quietly.

"Funny." Haley shook her head, taking off the jacket, folding it up slowly.

"You were wearing a shirt, poor Nathan." Brooke laughed, smirking slightly.

"I was just cleaning out our closet and found this, Brooke. I probably had it on for three minutes when you came in."

"So in those three minutes, you decided to take pictures of yourself wearing it? What exactly were you going to do with those pictures?" Brooke teased her, nudging her with her elbow.

"Well, why don't you ever knock?" Haley said, shrugging.

"For the same reason you never knock at my house. Because I don't need to." Brooke said simply.

"Right. Well, did you need something?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I did, but what I didn't know was that I've been waiting my whole life to see you sexting your husband." Brooke laughed, winking at her.

"You're killing me, Brooke Davis." Haley grumbled, shaking her head.

"Wait! I remembered why I can over." Brooke said, nodding. "I'm pissed at you guys because my boys won't shut up about getting a dog."

"What are you going to do?" Haley laughed, raising her eyebrows.

"I don't know. I can't deal with a dog. Davis and Jude are already a handful." Brooke sighed, shaking her head.

"Maybe if you let Julian pick it out then he'll be devoted to taking care of it. Or you can have my thirteen year old." Haley shrugged, laughing quietly.

"Hey, I'll take Jamie any time. He's my favorite person ever." Brooke laughed, "Well besides you."

"Thank you." Haley laughed, standing up and letting out a deep breath. "I don't even know where my dog is right now. Probably in Lydia's room. You can take him until Nathan gets home, if you'd like."

"Won't you need him to protect you from Elizabeth- oh wait, your husband hasn't fired her yet." Brooke laughed, smirking slightly.

"Trust me, he'll do it once he gets back." Haley shrugged, looking at her.

"Yeah? How're you going to get him to do that?" Brooke questioned, raising her eyebrows.

"After 15 years, I know how to get him to do what I want him to do. Plus, I think his reasoning is kind of good." Haley said, nodding her head.

"Yeah, I guess it's not bad. Anyways, why don't we go to lunch? Unless you have phone plans with Nathan." Brooke said, smirking.

"No, I don't." Haley laughed, shaking her head. "Let me get my purse."

"Julian?" Brooke yelled out as her and Haley walked into her house a few hours later, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm, uh- just come help me! I'm in the boys' room." Julian yelled out.

Brooke laughed, looking at Haley and shrugging slightly. "This should be good." She hummed, heading up the stairs to Davis and Jude's room.

Haley raised her eyebrows as she took in the room, laughing quietly.

Brooke grabbed the collar of Davis' shirt, raising her eyebrows. "Okay, buddy. Where's your dad?" She asked.

Davis laughed, pointing over to Jude's bed. "He's on the other side. We handcuffed him there."

"Handcuffs? Where did you get handcuffs?" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Lucas gave them to us." Jude shouted out, jumping off of his bed and landing on Julian.

"Sounds about right." Haley laughed, taking Brooke's hold on Davis' shirt. "I've got him. Go help Julian."

"Jude! Your father is not a trampoline!" Brooke yelled, grabbing Jude's ear, pulling him off of her husband. "You doing okay, buddy?" She laughed, flattening out Julian's hair.

"These kids are crazy. Again, I bring up the option of selling them in China." Julian laughed, leaning back against the bed.

Brooke moved Jude so he was standing next to Davis, raising her eyebrows. "Okay, boys. Where is the key?"

"What key?" Jude asked, a grin identical to Julian's forming on his face.

"Tell me, Haley. How were you blessed with Jamie and Lydia, while I go stuck with these two?" Brooke laughed, looking down at the boys again. She kneeled down slowly, letting out a deep breath. "Tell Mommy where the key is."

Davis stuck out his tongue, shaking his head. "We don't have a key."

"Take away everything, Brooke. Take it all away. Give them one pair of clothes, and no sugar for the rest of their lives." Julian laughed, looking over his shoulder.

"I have an idea." Haley said, raising her eyebrows.

"Be my guest. Or else we'll never find the key, and Julian will stay there forever." Brooke laughed, looking over at her husband.

"Okay, if you two tell us where the key is, as soon as Nathan gets home, I'll have him take you guys to the Rivercourt and play basketball with you. Sound fair?" Haley suggested, looking down at them.

"We need to talk this through." Jude said, grabbing Davis' arm, pulling him a few feet away.

After a few seconds of discussing, Davis pulled the key out of his pocket, handing it to Brooke.

"At least they're starting kindergarten this year. Probably right around the time you have your baby, they'll be close to going to school. Then we'll be free." Julian laughed, standing up once Brooke uncuffed him. "I have to go to the studio. Filming some good scenes today."

"Oh, like what?" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows.

"You'll have to wait, just like everyone else." Julian hummed, kissing her quickly. "Bye boys. Be good for mom and Haley."

"That's so not fair. We've filled in a lot of missing details from Luke's book for you, I should know what you're filming." Brooke grumbled, waving at him.

"Yeah, maybe you can persuade me later." Julian winked at her, walking out of the room.

"Maybe I should go put on the letterman jacket I made for him and take selfies." Brooke joked, shaking her head.

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Haley sighed.

"Nope. And if you don't send those pictures to Nathan, I'll make sure to tell him about them." Brooke laughed, smirking slightly.

"What pictures?" Jude asked, looking up at them.

"Nothing, honey. Keep playing." Brooke hummed, letting out a small sigh as they started to run circles around her. "Grab one, Haley. Then we can go back downstairs and let them play."

Haley laughed, pulling Jude away from Davis. "There you go."

"Okay, boys. Don't break anything." Brooke laughed, nodding at them, kissing each of them on the forehead, before pulling Haley out of the room.

Haley sat on the couch in the living room, Brooke sitting down next to her. "It'll be nice once Peyton and Lucas finally move back." She hummed softly.

"Yeah, then Peyton can hang out with us again. Three musketeers back together again." Brooke said, smiling.

"Yeah." Haley agreed, nodding at her and grinning.

"So, how're things going, baby mama?" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows.

Haley tucked her legs underneath her, smiling slightly. "Things are going well. I have a six week appointment scheduled the day after Nathan gets back."

"Oh yeah? Do you want a girl or a boy?" Brooke asked, smiling at her.

"Oh, I have one of each already. So it doesn't matter to me. Nathan wants a boy. He loves Lydia, but I don't think he realized how hard it would be when his little girl is growing up." Haley laughed, shrugging. "Speaking of kids growing up, did you know Jamie has a girlfriend?"

"What? You're kidding?!" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows. "It's Madison, isn't it? That boy has like her for so long."

"Yeah, but he hasn't told me yet. I overheard him, and Nathan confirmed it. So don't tell anyone." Haley said, shaking her head. "I have a thirteen year old son. That's still a crazy phrase to say out loud. He's turning fourteen this year. My kids are getting old."

"Good thing you're still popping them out." Brooke laughed, shrugging. "How many are you going to have?"

"I don't know, big families are hard. I was happy with two. But three is fine." Haley shrugged.

"I feel like I have five." Brooke laughed, leaning back and shaking her head. "My boys are my blessing. Don't think I don't appreciate them when I say that."

"Oh, no. I know how much you care about them, Brooke Davis." Haley smiled, nodding at her.

"Good. Is it hard when they go off to school? I mean, I still have awhile but right now, I think I'll be thankful for the peace and quiet." Brooke shrugged slightly, "I could get some work done."

"Oh, it's hard. I had to force myself to drop off Jamie every day for the first month. And I like school. Lydia was a little easier. Except Nathan let her skip like the third day of school because she didn't want to go." Haley laughed, rolling her eyes. "Just send one of them in five minutes before the other, and the second will probably be easier."

"I can't believe how our lives turned out. It's been forever, but it's still crazy. And I know, I know. We have this conversation all the time. Who would've thought that Lucas Scott brought all of us together?" Brooke laughed, shrugging.

"Lucas is capable of a lot." Haley hummed, looking over at her.

"Speaking of children growing up!" Brooke said quickly, grabbing her phone. "You have to check this out!" She held out her phone to Haley.

"Is that Sam?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows.

"She sent it to me last night! I can't believe she's old enough to be engaged." Brooke said, smiling brightly. "I knew that her and Jack would end up together, I just knew it. We totally called it, didn't we?" She said, looking at the picture.

"This is so exciting." Haley grinned at her, nodding.

"I know!" Brooke hummed, "She told me she would let me know details as she knows them, but she really wants me to come. And she asked for your address and stuff too. I'm so excited for her."

"It's so nice that her life has turned out. She owes that to you, Brooke Davis." Haley hummed, nodding at her friend.

"Julian is over the moon too. I still miss that girl all the time." Brooke hummed, sighing softly. "She wants me to make her wedding dress."

"Well, you are talented when it comes to that." Haley responded, smiling at her.

"This is so cool. She's grown up so much." Brooke said, nodding at her. "I can't wait."

"She looks happy." Haley said, hugging Brooke softly. "I'm super happy for her."

"Just think, in three years this could be Jamie." Brooke joked, smirking at her.

"I sure hope not." Haley laughed, shaking her head.

"He's been into this Madison girl since he was like six. You and Nathan were only together for a few months before you decided to get married. But I'm pretty sure you just wanted to have sex with him so badly." Brooke joked.

"Hey, I've never admitted that out loud to anyone." Haley responded, laughing quietly.

"You know, I really don't remember much about sex with Nathan, but did you know him and Lucas do some of the same things?" Brooke laughed, smirking.

"Okay, I didn't need to know that. Gross." Haley said, shaking her head.

Brooke winked at her, laughing again. "I've missed hanging out with you, buddy. It has been too long."

"As long as you don't compare my husband and Lucas in bed then I've missed you too." Haley laughed, smiling brightly at her.

"It's kind of funny how we can joke about this now, at least a little bit." Brooke hummed, nodding at her.

"A little bit." Haley said again, shaking her head and laughing.

"Okay, so Julian told me to bring this up to you. They're getting close to filming the last scenes of the book, and he sort of had an idea, and told me to run it past you." Brooke began, nodding at her.

"Alright, go ahead." Haley said, raising her eyebrows.

"So, the actors get interviewed all the time, but he had an idea that maybe he would get us five, and maybe a few others and interview all of us. I thought it would be kind of fun, I don't know." Brooke said, shrugging.

"That sounds super fun. I like it." Haley said, smiling slightly.

"Julian would be interviewing us, so none of the questions will be super uncomfortable most likely. But I thought it would be fun." Brooke confirmed, nodding.

"Yeah, that sounds like a cool idea." Haley hummed, looking to the stairs when she heard a loud crash.

"Typical day in the Baker house." Brooke laughed, standing up an heading to the stairs.

"Hey beautiful." Nathan said into his phone a few hours later, waving at the camera.

"How sweet of you to talk to me like that, Nate." Clay responded, laughing.

"Hey baby. Are you busy right now?" Haley asked, humming softly, brushing Lydia's hair out I her face.

"Never too busy for my girl." Nathan responded, flicking Clay in the ear softly.

"What are you guys doing?" She asked, smiling at him.

"We're just eating dinner and watching some videos. What about you?" He asked, glancing up at the TV, snapping at Clay and pointing.

"Just getting Lydia ready for bed. Say hi, Lyds." She hummed, pointing the camera at her.

"Hi Daddy!" Lydia said, waving at him.

"Hey little one. Are you being good for Mom?" He asked, smiling at her.

"Jamie gave me candy." Lydia hummed, grinning brightly.

"That answers that." Nathan chuckled, looking up at the TV. "Clay, watch that one again."

"Is this a bad time?" Haley asked him.

"No, babe. This is fine." He hummed, looking down at his phone.

"Good, because I need a favor." She hummed, shooshing Lydia quietly.

"Just buy it, don't ask me. Don't worry about the price." He laughed, smirking at Clay.

"Funny." Haley said sarcastically. "Look, I really need you to do this for me, Nathan. Remember that."

"Anything, Hales." Nathan hummed, glancing down at his phone screen.

"Now, I need you to step outside your comfort zone a little bit." She said to him, smiling slightly.

Clay looked over at Nathan, raising his eyebrows and smirking. "Do I need to leave?"

"Dude, Lydia is in the room." Nathan laughed, rolling his eyes.

"Lydia won't go to bed unless- well... Lydia, why don't you tell Daddy what you want?" Haley said, looking over at her daughter.

Lydia grabbed the phone from her, "I want you to sing to me, Dad!"

"Absolutely not." Nathan said quickly, shaking his head.

"Nathan, come on." Haley sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

Clay laughed loudly, looking at him. "Come on, Nate."

"You do it all the time, Daddy!" Lydia said, frowning at him.

"When no one else is around, Lydia. Have Mom sing to you." Nathan said simply.

"All the time, huh?" Haley raised her eyebrows.

"I want you to sing." Lydia said, giving him puppy dog eyes.

"I won't do it." Nathan shrugged, looking away.

"Nathan, it's like seven o'clock for you, but it's ten o'clock here. Lydia won't go to bed." Haley said, sighing softly.

"I want to hear you sing to her too, Nate. Come on, buddy. We've all heard you sing before." Clay said, smirking.

"Yeah, so you know that I suck." He responded, shaking his head.

"Nathan, first of all, you don't suck. Second of all, I want to go to bed. And Lydia needs to go to bed." Haley sighed, looking down at her daughter.

"Come on, Daddy. Just sing her a song." Clay laughed, smirking.

"Clay, don't call me that. Go back to your own room." Nathan grumbled, throwing a French fry at him.

"Yes, Daddy." Clay smirked, winking at him.

"You're creeping me out, man. Get out of here." Nathan said, shaking his head.

"Okay, okay. I'm done. Goodnight Hales, Lydia. I'll see you tomorrow, Nate." Clay said, ruffling Nathan's hair and walking out.

"He left his trash." Nathan frowned, shaking his head.

"Nathan, please? I promise I'll make it worth your while once you get home." Haley said to him, smiling.

He sighed, looking at her, before shifting his gaze to Lydia. "Lydia, I'll do it if you tell Mommy she has to leave the room."

"Bye Mama!" Lydia hummed, grabbing the phone from her hands and settling under her covers.

Haley sighed softly, walking out of the room.

Nathan looked at Lydia, letting out a deep breath. "You owe me big time, kid."


	45. Chapter 45

**I do not own One Tree Hill**

 **Chapter 45**

"Haley James?" Nathan called out, walking into the quiet house, looking around, gently throwing his bag on the floor.

A few seconds later, Haley walked downstairs, raising her eyebrows, "Nathan? What the hell are you doing home?" She asked, finishing up putting her earrings in her ears.

Nathan eyed her for a second, taking a second to take in her appearance.

"You told me you'd be home tomor-" She was cut off when she was basically tackled onto the couch, her husband's lips on hers. "What are you-" She was cut off again when he kissed her once more.

"Shh. You're talking too much." He said, kissing at her neck softly.

"Lucas is coming over for lunch soon." She mumbled, biting her lip softly.

"Just tell him not to come." He said, pushing up her shirt, beginning to kiss her stomach lightly.

Haley fluttered her eyes shut, letting out a deep breath. "I missed you." She whispered, running her fingers through his hair.

Nathan kissed back up to her mouth, kissing her deeply. "I missed you so much, Hales." He responded, looking down at her.

"I wish that you would've told me you were coming home, I sort of jam packed my day." She said, sighing softly.

"Hm." He hummed, kissing along her jaw.

"Maybe you should go away for two weeks more often." She laughed, her hands pushing up his shirt a little bit, grazing over the muscles in his back.

"It's been a month. You wouldn't have sex with me after I got in that snowboarding accident until my back stopped hurting." He grumbled, sucking at her neck softly.

Haley arched her back a little bit, tilting her head back and letting out a deep breath, closing her eyes tightly. "Nathan, Lucas is going to be here any minute."

"Who cares? He walked in on us a million times in college." He said simply, shrugging, focusing his attention back on her skin.

Haley looked up at him, running her fingers through his hair. "I love you, and I missed you a lot." She said softly.

"Where's your phone?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows, gently biting down on her collarbone.

"Depends on what you're doing." She laughed, tilting her head back a bit.

"I'm going to text Lucas. Are you going out to lunch or was he eating here?" He asked her.

"We were going to go out but I don't see what-"

He kissed her again, smirking slightly. "Where's your phone, Hales? I'm going to tell him that you'll meet him there instead."

Haley hesitated for a second, before looking up at him. "It's upstairs."

"Perfect, that's where we're headed anyways." Nathan responded, standing up and picking her up bridal style.

"Nathan, I can walk. I don't want you to hurt your back." She said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Haley, you weigh like two pounds. I could shoot you across the room like a three pointer." He smirked down at her, winking.

"I think I recognize that line." She hummed, kissing his cheek softly. "I can be a half hour late, Nathan. So do what you want in that time."

"Oh, you know just what to say to make me swoon, Haley James." Nathan laughed, shaking his head and heading up the stairs.

Nathan leaned against the car outside of Lydia's school, brushing his fingers through his hair. After Haley had gone to lunch with Lucas, she had to meet Mia at the recording studio, so she told Nathan to go on ahead and pick up the kids without her.

He looked up when he heard Lydia yelling his name, grinning brightly.

Lydia came barreling at him, throwing her arms around his legs, "Daddy!" She yelled, looking up at him.

"Hey little one." Nathan said, kneeling down and wrapping his arms tightly around her, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath. "I missed you."

"Mama told me you wouldn't be home until tomorrow." Lydia informed him.

"Yeah, I decided to surprise my favorite people in the world." He said, smiling down at her.

"I'm your favorite though, right?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Don't tell anyone." He smirked, winking at her and opening the car. He picked her up, putting her in the seat and buckling her seatbelt.

"I can do that, you know." Lydia pointed out, smiling up at him.

"Yeah, but you're a queen." He reminded her, walking around and getting in the car.

"I thought grandma was picking us up today." She said, humming softly.

"Dad is more fun than grandma, trust me. I've known her my whole life. The fun grandma was mom's mom." Nathan informed her.

"I'm named after her?" Lydia asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah. We knew you would be fun." He hummed, beginning to drive to Jamie's school.

"Why did she die?" Lydia asked him, frowning.

"It was time for her to be with Grandpa Jimmy again." Nathan said softly.

"Mommy got really sad, huh?" She asked, sighing softly.

"Yeah, but then we found out about you and it made it better. You're my hero, because I didn't like seeing her sad." He informed her, smiling slightly.

"I'm your hero?" Lydia asked with wide eyes.

"You bet." He hummed, nodding at her.

"What about Jamie?" She asked, smiling brightly.

"I won't tell if you won't." He said, shrugging his shoulders and laughing quietly.

He pulled up in front of Jamie's school, letting out a deep breath. He jumped a few seconds later when someone tapped on his window.

"Nathan?" Deb asked, raising her eyebrows.

Nathan rolled down the window, "Uh, hey Mom." He said, nodding at her.

"I didn't know you were home." Deb said, frowning slightly.

"Yeah, I just got home today." He hummed, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

"Hi grandma!" Lydia yelled from the back seat, waving at her.

"Lydia!" Deb smiled brightly, poking her head into the car.

"Are you and Grandpa William coming for dinner tonight? Mama said you were." Lydia asked her, smiling brightly.

With that, Nathan froze, looking over at Deb, scowling slightly.

"Um... We're going to have to talk to your Mom about that one. I think that Nicole is going to have a lot of homework tonight." Deb said, glancing at Nathan. "Megan goes back to school soon too, so William might want to spend time with her."

Lydia frowned, looking at her. "Please come to dinner?"

"Why don't we talk to your mom, then we'll get back to you?" Deb said, smiling. "I see Jordan coming. I'll talk to you guys later?" She said, smiling at them and nodding, heading back to her car.

Nathan was still scowling at Lydia's comment, unable to shake it from his mind. He sucked in a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down, glancing back at her.

"Dad!" Jamie grinned as he got into the car. "You're home!"

"Yeah, man. I couldn't stay away from my family for another second." Nathan chuckled, ruffling Jamie's hair.

"I have been in a house full of women for the past two weeks. You owe me a guys night out." Jamie said, smiling brightly at him. "Plus, mom doesn't yank me out of bed at three in the morning to play video games. She pulls me out of bed at three in the morning because she was looking over my homework and found an error."

"She used to do that to me." Nathan said, smiling slightly.

"It's a real pain in the ass." Jamie grumbled.

Nathan smacked the back of his head softly, shaking his head. "Language, James. Especially with Lydia around."

"Right. Sorry." Jamie responded, smiling at him. "I missed you, Dad."

"Me too!" Lydia called out.

"I missed you guys too." Nathan hummed out, smiling brightly.

"Hey Jamie! Guess what he said to me?" Lydia said, grinning.

"What?" Jamie asked, looking behind him at her, raising his eyebrows.

"He said that I'm his hero." Lydia bragged, sticking her tongue out.

"You're my hero too, Lyds." Jamie said, smiling at her an shaking his head.

She raised her eyebrows, her jaw dropping. "I wonder if I'm Mommy's hero."

"I bet you are." Nathan chuckled, glancing back at her.

Upon arriving home, Nathan got both of them started on their homework in the kitchen, before heading into a different room and calling Haley.

"Hello?" Haley answered the second time he called her. "Is everything okay?"

"No, Haley. Everything isn't okay." Nathan informed her, letting out a deep breath. "I ran into my mom today at Jamie's school."

"Mhm." She hummed, holding the phone between her ear and her shoulder, hold her finger up to Mia.

"And apparently you invited Grandma Deb and Grandpa William over for dinner tonight." He grumbled into the phone, running his fingers through his hair.

Haley was quiet for a second, letting out a deep sigh. "Just a second, Nathan." She said, pushing down on the talk button. "Mia, why don't you take five?"

"Come on, Hales. Let's just call it a day. I'm not feeling it." Mia said, shrugging.

"Mia, we have to get this done. I'll call Peyton in to yell at you." Haley said, shaking her head.

"I thought you'd be less cranky now that hubs is back." Mia grumbled.

"Mia, I'm not cranky." Haley sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

"I'm just not feeling this, Haley." Mia said, shaking her head.

"Well, take five and then come back and try again. Then we'll see what happens. Go on, have a couple drinks, loosen up." Haley said, waving her hand. She walked out of the booth, sitting down at her desk and letting out a deep breath. "Okay, Nathan. Let me just start by saying she just started calling him that, I didn't tell her to, no one told her to."

"What the hell, Haley? We just talked about this. He is not her grandfather." Nathan said, sighing softly.

"I know that, babe. But is it really so bad? She never got the chance to know my dad, or your dad." Haley sighed, shaking her head.

"Yes, Haley. I don't like him." He grumbled, letting out a deep breath.

"You liked him fine until New Years." She reminded him.

"Yeah, but then he was a dick." He responded.

"Megan forgave him." She informed him. "If she can let it go, maybe you should too."

"Well- You know what- I don't- This isn't- Dammit, Haley." Nathan grumbled into the phone.

Haley laughed quietly, smiling. "You're kind of cute when you know I'm right."

"So what are you wearing?" He asked, smirking.

"I have to go." She laughed, rolling her eyes. "I'll be home in a little bit. If Mia can't get this soon, I'm going to call it a day."

"Good luck. I know musicians, and they are trouble." He informed her.

"You're the worst." Haley laughed, shaking her head. "I'll see you soon, honey."

"Bye baby. Have fun." He hummed, hanging up.

"Hales, I sort of thought since I just got home, we could have dinner just the four of us." Nathan frowned, walking into the kitchen, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt.

"This was planned before you surprised us, Nate." Haley responded, looking through the cupboards, reaching up to grab some pepper out of it.

Nathan's eyes fell down her back as her shirt rode up a bit, the numbers on her back becoming visible. He smirked slightly, keeping his eyes glued on it as his wife started talking again.

"Another thing, I think it's really time for you to-" She began, turning to look at him, pausing. Just from his eyes, she could tell where his mind had gone, and that anything she said was going to go in one ear and out the other, "Nathan..."

In a split second, Nathan had her backed up against the counter, his hands on either side of her. "Hey."

"Smooth." She laughed, looking up at him and smiling slightly.

He leaned down, kissing her lightly, taking a small step forward.

Haley kissed his back briefly, before pushing him away softly. "The kids are home, and I have to finish making dinner." She hummed, turning back around.

He looked over her shoulder for a second, before lifting up her shirt a bit, glancing down.

"That explains the sudden mood change." She chuckled, looking over at him. "Okay, Nathan. You stir this, while I go finish getting ready."

"I'll come with you." He said, nodding his head.

"I missed you so much, Nathan. I really wish you could." She assured him, smiling slightly.

Nathan wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her head. "I think you reach for things on purpose, just so your tattoo will be visible."

"As much as I love that you still find me sexy after all these years, I can't have you jumping my bones right now. So not this time." Haley hummed, turning around and kissing his cheek. "What I do need though, is for you to stir this."

"I suppose I can do that." He said, releasing her from his grasp. "It feels good to be home."

She looked at him, smiling brightly. "I love you. Now be careful with that. I won't be long. They'll probably be here in a half hour."

"Whatever, baby. I got this."

"Right."


	46. Chapter 46

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 46**

"Nathan!" Megan cheered, rushing to her step brother, throwing her arms around him.

Nathan let out a small sigh. "Uh, hey." He said, letting his arms hang at his sides.

"Come on, Nate. I know you missed me." Megan laughed, smirking up at him.

"Sure." He said, shaking his head. "I mean, yes. Yep. I did miss you." He shrugged, chuckling quietly.

"I'm going back to school soon, and you'll miss me even more." She assured him.

"We'll see. Something tells me I'll manage without you." He said, shaking his head.

"I doubt it. Maybe you'll finally be able to beat me in your stupid little basketball game if you practice while I'm gone." Megan joked, smirking.

"I could destroy you on the real court, just saying." Nathan grumbled.

"I'm pregnant. But if I wasn't, then I would be able to take you." Megan said, shrugging.

He laughed, slinging his arm around her shoulders. "Sure. Don't worry, I'll teach your kid some basketball skills since Grayson is a tool."

She smacked him softly, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

"I'd have to agree with him on that one, Megan. And you know how hard it is for me to agree with Nathan." Nicole said simply, shrugging.

"Hey! I'm a very agreeable person." Nathan shook his head. "People don't disagree with me, I disagree with them."

"That doesn't even make sense." Nicole grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"I disagree." Nathan responded, nodding at his mother.

"Okay, you guys are stupid. I'm glad I have Jordan to keep me grounded. Also, my boyfriend is completely not toolish." Megan said, shaking her head. "Now where's Haley?"

"I don't just punch people for no reason, so he must be a tool." Nathan said, making eye contact with William.

Megan looked at Nicole, then at Jordan, her eyes widening a bit. 'Yikes' she mouthed to her sisters. "Yep. Where's Haley?"

"She's in the kitchen." He responded, glancing over at her.

"Alright, well... I'm going to go find her." Megan said, shaking her head and hurrying into the kitchen.

Haley looked up, smiling at her. "Hey! How're things going?"

"Is this going to be terrible?" Megan asked, sighing softly.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Lydia called him grandpa earlier today and Nathan didn't respond well." Haley hummed, shaking her head. "He'll be fine, I'm sure."

"Haley! He's your husband, can't you keep him under control or something? I feel bad, because this is all my fault." Megan said, leaning against the counter.

"Keep him under control?" Haley laughed, looking at her and raising her eyebrows. "I've been trying to get Nathan to put his clothes in the laundry basket for fifteen years, Megan. You'd think since he was in the NBA he'd be able to make it into the hamper more often. If I had any control over him, I wouldn't pick up clothes every damn day."

"Bleh, you guys are so that old married couple that only exists in the movies." Megan said, rolling her eyes.

"Not old." Haley corrected her, shaking her head. "But yeah, if I could control him, trust me... I would."

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure out something. I thought they were getting along fairly well until I told him I was pregnant." Megan shrugged, sighing.

"Why do I have to come up with something?" Haley laughed, raising her eyebrows.

"Because you know how to handle Nathan. I know how to handle my dad, but I doubt he'll be fighting back because he was an ass and deserves it a little bit." Megan laughed, shrugging.

"He'll be fine." Haley assured her. "He usually doesn't act out when Lydia is around. You know, save the time he punched your father in the face."

"Yeah, well... We'll see." Megan hummed, nodding at her. "I'll help you take stuff in there."

After a little while, everyone had settled into dinner, listening to Lydia tell Nathan about the last couple weeks.

"Then Mommy let me go to the recording studio with her and she let me record." Lydia hummed, looking up at him.

"She never let's me do that." Nathan fake pouted, looking over at Haley.

"That's because you should stick to basketball." Nicole said, shrugging slightly.

"I'm a man of many talents. I can do so much more than just basketball." He informed her, humming softly.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" She responded, smirking slightly.

Nathan thought for a second, tapping his fingers on the table, "Okay, I can't think of anything so at least I'm good at something cool."

"You're good at lots of things." Lydia hummed, nodding up at him.

"Thanks, Lyds." Nathan stuck his tongue out at Nicole, before looking up at Haley, clearing his throat.

"Yep, babe. You're good at a lot of things." Haley laughed, shrugging her shoulders.

"So, Nathan... How was scouting?" William asked, clearing his throat.

"It was fine." Nathan responded, shrugging.

"You came back with more gray hair." Nicole said, smirking.

"I do not have gray hair." Nathan scowled at her, frowning.

"Right. My mistake." She replied, shaking her head.

"I don't." He grumbled, looking at Haley, who shook her head.

"You're like fifty, it's normal." Nicole pointed out.

"I'm thirty." He responded, rolling his eyes.

"Really?"

"One. Thirty-one." He grumbled, sighing softly.

"You look a lot older than that." Nicole said simply, shrugging.

Jamie laughed loudly, shaking his head. "Yikes, Dad."

"If he looks like he's fifty, how old do I look?" Deb laughed, raising her eyebrows.

"Like you're forty." Nicole hummed, smirking over at Nathan.

"I like that." Deb said, smiling at Nathan.

"And William looks like he's eighty." Nathan grumbled, sighing.

"Mature comeback." Nicole laughed, rolling her eyes.

"You don't look like you're eighty, William. And Nathan, you don't have gray hair or look like you're fifty." Haley said, shaking her head.

"Come on, Mom. He does look pretty old." Jamie said, smirking.

"No he doesn't, Jamie. Knock it off." She sighed, looking up at Nathan.

"I'm just saying, I doubt he can even move well anymore. I'm sure I can beat him at basketball." Jamie pointed out, shrugging.

"Jamie, you're like two feet tall. I could beat you easily." Nathan grumbled, sighing softly.

"There's a hoop in the driveway, old man. Let's see it." Nicole hummed, nodding at him.

"You know what? Fine. Come on, Jamie." Nathan said, standing up.

Lydia jumped up, looking up at Nathan and grinning. "Can I be your cheerleader?"

"Of course." He confirmed, picking her up.

"We weren't eating dinner or anything." Haley said, looking up at him.

"Oh, you guys can stay if you want. I just need me, Jamie, Nicole, and Lydia." He shrugged, resting his hand on Jamie's shoulder. "Come on, son."

"This is hilarious." Jordan laughed, standing up. "I want to see Nathan beat Jamie."

"Yeah, right. Like he can still beat me. He's got a messed up back and he's getting older by the second." Jamie said simply, smirking.

"Oh, kid... You're going down." Nathan grumbled, messing up his hair. "Haley?"

"Mom?" Jamie said after him, looking up at Haley.

"I'm staying out of this." Haley said, shaking her head and sighing softly.

"Okay, this is ridiculous. Obviously Nathan is going to beat him- no offense, Jamie." Megan said, shrugging slightly.

"You'll see." Jamie shook his head, nodding at her. "You have to pick a side, Mom. You have to."

"Absolutely not." Haley laughed, standing up slowly.

"Whatever, Jamie. Your mom has always cheered for me. Always." Nathan pointed out, winking at Haley.

"Sure, Dad. We all know who she'll really be cheering for." Jamie laughed. "Now stop trying to distract everyone. Let's get out there, old man."

Nathan had obviously beaten Jamie. It hadn't been that difficult for him, but he had made it close.

He let out a deep breath, passing the ball back to Jamie. "That's game, shorty." He shrugged, letting out a deep breath.

Lydia clapped, rushing to Nathan and hugging him. "Yay! You did it."

"Sorry, son. I guess you're not quite there yet." He said, clapping Jamie on the back and kneeling down and hugging Lydia.

"You're sweaty." Lydia said, pushing on him.

"I'm not that sweaty." Nathan said, standing up and looking at Haley. "Sorry, Hales. Looks like you lost."

"Lost? I wasn't on anyone's side." Haley laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Right. I saw the excited look in your eye when Jamie made a basket." He pointed out.

"Ha!" Jamie smirked, nodding at them. "Thanks, Mom."

"I didn't have a side, but it's fine." She sighed, shaking her head.

"Could you beat Grandpa Dan at basketball, Dad?" Jamie asked, looking at him.

"He was better than Dan." Deb informed him, smiling at Nathan.

Nathan nodded his head, letting out a deep breath. "Yeah, I was better than him." He smirked. "And I'm sure one day you'll be better than me."

"Will I be better than you, Dad?" Lydia asked, looking up at him.

"Probably, Lydia." Nathan hummed, smiling at her.

"What about me?" Haley laughed, raising her eyebrows.

"There's no hope for you." He smirked, winking at her. "Does anyone else want to take me on? Because I know that Jamie could beat any of you, so it's not worth it."

"Play basketball against him, Dad." Nicole said, looking over at William.

"Ah, no thanks." William said, rubbing his neck.

"Come on, William. Play me." Nathan said, taking the basketball from Jamie.

"William, you don't have to do it." Haley said, looking over at Megan.

"I think you should do it, Dad." Jordan said, nodding over at Nathan.

"Unless you're scared." Nathan said, shrugging.

"William, it's fine." Deb said, looking at Haley and raising her eyebrows.

"No, it's okay. Basketball isn't my thing, but I'll still go against you." William said softly, rolling up his sleeves.

"Oh no." Haley grumbled, moving so she was standing by Megan. "I don't predict this having a good ending." She said quietly.

And she had been right, of course. Nathan has basically intentionally fouled him on every possession. It was much less friendly than the game he had just played with Jamie, and he didn't cut William any slack, doing his best to show him who was boss on the basketball court.

Haley squeezed her eyes shut, letting out a deep breath when William fell to the ground.

Nathan walked over to him, holding out his hand and helping him up, pushing the basketball against his chest. "This is a message, old man. You may be married to my mom, but I'm not going to let you be a douche to her. I can beat your ass on the basketball court, and I can beat your ass off the basketball court. So you treat her with respect, as well as your daughters. Because my daughter is noticing things now, and if you're a bad example for her, then you won't come near her. Got it?" He said quietly, glaring down at him.

William nodded slowly, letting out a deep breath. "Yep. I'm sorry for the way I spoke to everyone a few weeks ago. I hope one day we can push past it." He said, shrugging slightly.

"Me too." Nathan responded, sighing softly, letting out a deep breath.

"Well, looks like we should get going. It's a school night." William said, glancing at his watch.

"It's like 7:30." Jordan said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, but you and Nicole both have homework to do." He said, nodding at them.

"Well, this was very anticlimactic. I was hoping at least someone could beat Nathan." Nicole grumbled, shaking her head. "I have a book to read anyways. I'll be in the car."

"Are you sure? You don't need to go. Or I can get you some food to take home?" Haley asked them, raising her eyebrows.

"No, Haley. You've done enough. Thank you." Deb smiled at her, nodding slowly.

"Alright. Well, thank you for coming." Haley hummed, wrapping her arm around Jamie's shoulders.

"Bye Grandma. Bye, William. Maybe we can team up and beat my dad next time." Jamie laughed, nodding at him.

"We'll see." William chuckled, nodding at them. "Thank you all for welcoming us into your home. We'll see you soon."

"Yeah, I'll be sure to stop by before I leave soon. Call me after your doctors appointment tomorrow, okay?" Megan hummed, hugging Haley quickly. "I would hug you Nate, but you're all sweaty and gross."

"Good to know." He laughed, nodding at her. "See you guys later."

At around three in the morning, Nathan walked up to Lucas and Peyton's house, kneeling down and picking up their rock with a house key hidden inside of it, removing it quickly. He glanced at the time, sighing softly and shaking his head, quietly unlocking the door and stepping inside.

He carefully walked through the house, pausing when the floor creaked quietly, letting out a deep breath and continuing into the kitchen, hurrying to the fridge and pulling it open quietly.

He turned around quickly when the lights turned on, nodding at Lucas. "Hey."

Lucas rubbed his eyes, "Nate. What the hell are you doing here, man?" He grumbled, shaking his head.

"Haley really wanted some chocolate covered strawberries, and I didn't want to go all the way to the store, so I thought I'd stop here first and see if you guys had some." He laughed, shrugging slightly.

"Dude, you can't take our stuff." Lucas said, shaking his head.

"Come on, man. Please. She can't sleep, which means I can't sleep." Nathan grumbled, pulling some strawberries out, smirking at him. "I'm taking them."

"Nathan, you're so close to the store. Just go." Lucas said, shaking his head.

"Lucas, come on. Then I have to go through the trouble of buying them." Nathan said, shrugging.

"Nathan."

"Lucas."

"What if we were saving those for something?" Lucas asked him, crossing his arms.

"Luke, come on. This is for Haley. I'll go buy you more another time. It's for your best friend in the whole world." Nathan begged him, smirking slightly.

"You suck, Nathan." Lucas grumbled, sitting down on the counter.

"Thanks man, I owe you." Nathan laughed, shrugging. "You like living in Tree Hill again?"

"Yeah, it's kinda nice. Except when my annoying ass little brother comes and steals my food in the middle of the night." Lucas responded, laughing.

"My poor wife and her pregnancy cravings made me do it." Nathan said simply.

"Yeah, about that. I'm annoyed as hell at you. I tell you that Peyton and I are thinking about having another kid, then you go and get Haley pregnant? What's up with that? You so competitive that you have to one up me on the amount of kids you have?" Lucas laughed, raising his eyebrows.

"Nope. Little Nathan Jr wasn't planned." Nathan said, shrugging. "Sorry that your boys aren't as good as mine, Lucas."

"Okay, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Lucas grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Maybe you're too old to have kids." Nathan joked, smirking slightly.

"Just take my strawberries and get the hell out."


	47. Chapter 47

**I do not own One Tree Hill**

 **Chapter 47**

Haley rested her hand on Nathan's leg, letting out a deep breath. "Nathan, you have to cool it with the leg bouncing. It's driving me crazy."

"What? Sorry." Nathan said softly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, looking around the waiting room. "It's just been awhile since I've been to one of these."

She smiled slightly, looking over at him from the magazine she was reading. "I missed you these past couple weeks."

"I missed you too." He said, leaning over and kissing her head and smiling down at her. "So I ran into Brooke this morning, and she told me that I should go through your phone."

"Oh lord." She laughed, rolling her eyes and squeezing his leg softly. "Where did you see her?"

"I went to her house to check out her new designs. Gotta make sure my baby looks cool." He smirked, shrugging.

"Nice." She hummed, looking over at him and smiling. "I really did miss you. I only talked Lucas into bringing me a midnight craving once while you were gone."

"I totally went to his house and stole those strawberries." He chuckled, smirking slightly.

"Hey, I don't care how you got them, because they were awesome. I love you." She hummed, pinching his cheek.

"I love you too. Now, let's see your phone." Nathan smirked, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Maybe later." She hummed, standing up when their name was called, reaching out and grabbing his hand. "Come on. Let's go see this baby."

"Did you see him, Haley? Did you hear his heart beat? God, I love being a dad." Nathan grinned at her as they walked out of the hospital, quickly pulling open the passenger door for her.

Haley smiled up at him, kissing his cheek softly. "You're so cute, Nathan."

"I don't know why I ever leave you, or why I ever have to miss these appointments. You're so incredible, Haley James. It's mind blowing." He informed her, hugging her tightly.

She laughed quietly, "Thank you. But I'm not too sure about how hellbent you are on this baby being a boy."

"I think he's a boy. But I'm just praying for a happy, healthy, tall baby. Boy or girl. I need some height legacy to be passed down." He laughed, resting his hand on top of her head, comparing her to himself. "This isn't going to cut it."

"I'm not that short, Nathan. You're just tall." She rolled her eyes, pushing him softly. "Maybe I should start mocking how tall you are."

"I like being tall. I can dunk a basketball." He smirked at her, winking.

"Yeah, well it's a lot of effort on my part to kiss you." She pointed out, getting into the car and shaking her head.

Nathan laughed quietly, closing the door and walking around to the driver's side, rolling his eyes. "But it's worth it, right?"

"Mhm." She hummed, grabbing his hand and squeezing it softly. "Can you drop me off at the cafe?"

"Sure." He smiled at her, nodding his head. "I love this baby so much, Haley. Thank you."

"Thank you, Nathan." She hummed, kissing his cheek. "We make some pretty awesome kids, don't we?"

"The best." He chuckled, winking at her.

"Are you going to Fortitude?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I have to talk to Elizabeth." He said, nodding slowly. "Listen, Haley... I don't think she's going to do anything but please don't be at the cafe alone tonight." He said softly, glancing over at her.

Haley smiled at him, kissing his hand lightly. "Of course, Nathan. But not everyone is a psycho, you know."

"Yeah, but we've encountered enough psychos to have the right to be cautious. I'm probably going to swing by after I pick up the kids from school, okay?" He hummed, nodding at her.

"Okay, but don't take them for ice cream. Baseball season is starting soon." She said to him, watched as he parked next to Karen's Cafe.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll get Lydia some ice cream and Jamie can eat a healthy smoothie with spinach and shit in it." Nathan laughed, leaning over and kissing her cheek. "Bye baby. Let me know if you need anything."

Haley nodded her head, squeezing his hand. "You too. Thanks for the ride. Love you."

"Love you too. I'll see you in a few hours." He hummed, smiling at her and waving. "Tell Brooke hello for me." He called out to her.

Nathan arrived at Fortitude a little while later, letting out a deep breath and shaking his head and getting out of the car slowly. He hurried inside, rushing into Clay's office.

"Dude, why do I feel so bad firing her?" He asked his friend, shaking his head quickly.

Clay laughed, looking up at him. "You feel bad firing her, but you had no problem firing me?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

Nathan sighed, sitting down in one of the chairs in Clay's office. "Shut up."

"I'm just saying, dude. I messed up your career, but I wasn't trying to and then I fixed it. This girl is trying to mess up your marriage, and she definitely won't be the one to fix it. Can you imagine a world where without Haley?" Clay asked him, raising his eyebrows. "Where you only see her when she drops off your kids to spend every other weekend with you? Just the weekend, man. She gets them during the week. Do you want that? Jamie, Lydia, and Clay Jr?"

"I'm not naming my kid after you. Besides, that wouldn't happen, Clay. But no, I don't want it to. So wish me luck." He let out a deep breath, standing up. "I make this shot, and you have to fire her for me." Nathan grumbled, picking up the foam basketball off Clay's desk, shooting it into the small basket on the door. It bounced off the rim, and fell to the ground.

Clay laughed quietly, shaking his head. "Sorry, buddy. Have fun."

Nathan flipped him off, shaking his head and walking to the front, clearing his throat. "Hey, Elizabeth. Can I talk to you in my office when you have a second?"

Elizabeth nodded her head, looking up at him. "Yeah, of course."

He let out a deep breath, walking back into his office and tapping his fingers on his desk, sitting down and closing his eyes.

After a minute, Elizabeth walked into his office, "How was your trip?" She asked, walking around his desk, resting her hand on his shoulder.

"Take a seat." Nathan said, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk.

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows, sitting down slowly, frowning slightly.

"Listen, Elizabeth..." Nathan said, sighing softly. "This isn't working out."

"What?" Elizabeth asked him, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry to have to do this, but I'm going to have to let you go." He said simply, shrugging his shoulders.

"But why?" She asked him, standing up slowly.

"Because your behavior towards me is inappropriate." He said to her, standing up as well.

Elizabeth stepped towards Nathan, shaking her head. "But, Mr. Scott..." She said, batting her eyelashes at him.

"This is exactly what I'm talking about." He pointed out, stepping back from her. "I'm married. Happily married. I have two kids, and my wife is pregnant."

"Are you totally sure that the baby is yours?" Elizabeth asked, taking another step towards him.

"Positive." Nathan said, scowling at her and stepping away.

"Even if it is, what are you going to do when she's eight months pregnant? Or when the baby is born and she does have time for you anymore?" She asked, stepping towards him again.

Nathan stepped back until his back hit the wall, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. But I'm letting you go."

Elizabeth shook her head, trailing her hand down his arm. "Alright, but when your wife stops satisfying you, you know how to get through to me." She said, kissing his jaw lightly.

Nathan scowled, shaking his head. "I want you to get the hell out. I'll have someone drop off your stuff at your house. If I see you here, or anywhere near my family then I will call the authorities." He snapped, slipping past her and wiping off his face.

"Bye, Nathan." Elizabeth smirked at him, winking and heading out of the office.

Nathan shook his head, letting out a deep breath and running his fingers through his hair, sitting down slowly.

Clay walked in a few minutes later, raising his eyebrows. "So, what happened?"

"She cornered me and told me to call her when Haley stops satisfying me." Nathan grumbled, closing his eyes.

"Probably a good idea to fire her then." Clay said, shaking his head and patting his shoulder. "Why don't you leave for the rest of the day? You just go home. You just got back."

"Really?" Nathan asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah. But I suggest you do a better job at getting that lipstick off you before you go anywhere near your wife. Be careful, buddy." Clay hummed, nodding at him.

Nathan let out a deep sigh, shaking his head. "Note to self. Stop hiring hot and flirty girls. It always ends up bad."

"Get someone like Tami. She keeps her personal life just like it should be. Personal. I'll call you later, man. Take care." Clay hummed, smacking the back of Nathan's head.

Nathan chuckled, standing up an sighing softly. "I'll see you later. Tell Quinn hello for me. Oh, and I have to take Brooke's monsters to the Rivercourt one of these days. Maybe you and Logan can come?"

"Scared?" Clay laughed, smirking at him.

"Terrified. Those kids are evil." Nathan laughed, shaking his head.

"Fine, I'm in." Clay responded, "Now get your ass out of here before I fire you."

"Not funny. I'll see you later, man. Thanks for everything. Call me if you need anything." Nathan hummed, hurrying out.


	48. Chapter 48

**I do not own One Tree Hill**

 **Chapter 48**

Nathan walked into the cafe with Jamie and Lydia following behind him. "Okay, we're not going to stay here that long. Go sit down." He said to them, nodding over towards a table.

He walked over to the counter, smiling at Haley. "Hey baby." He hummed, leaning over the counter and kissing her cheek.

Haley looked up at Nathan, opening her mouth to say something but stopping in her tracks, letting her eyes graze over his body. It had been awhile since he'd come into cafe after working out, his hair down in his face, shirt fitted to him in all the right places.

After a second of standing there, he cleared his throat, raising his eyebrows. "Hales? You okay?"

She forced her gaze back up to meet his, "Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm fine." She said softly, her eyes moving back down to admire his biceps, letting out a deep breath.

"You sure?" He laughed, glancing over his shoulder at Jamie and Lydia.

"Yep, I'm sorry." She said, glancing back up at him. "Is that a new shirt?"

"Uh, no. I've had it for awhile. Why? Is there something- Oh wait. I know that look." Nathan said, smirking at her. "In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm the only guy in the world who knows that look."

"Stop." Haley said, shaking her head and letting out a deep breath. "How did today go?" She changed the subject, looking up at him.

"I'll tell you about it later. You know, I knew I could still turn you on by walking into a room. I'm pretty sexy, aren't I?" B He smirked at her, winking.

Haley opened her mouth to respond, when Brooke rushed up to them, shoving a towel into Nathan's chest.

"Hey, if you can't tell, we're busy and short staffed today. So help, or get lost." Brooke said, nodding at him. "Actually, go home and shower, then come back and help."

"Yikes, that was a little rude." Nathan grumbled, flicking the towel at her.

"Come at me, Scott. We're busy, and you're a distraction." Brooke scowled, shaking her head.

"I'm not a distraction." He grumbled, shaking his head.

"Yes you are, get Jamie to start cleaning off tables. We'll pay him double what we usually pay him." Brooke said, letting out a deep breath.

"We don't pay him anything." Haley laughed, raising her eyebrows.

"Exactly." Brooke laughed, nodding over at him.

"Two dollars won't make a difference to him." Nathan said simply, shrugging.

Brooke paused, looking at him and smirking slightly, glancing over at Haley.

Haley shook her head, sighing softly. "Honey, zero doubled would still be zero."

"Math is stupid as hell. I don't care." He grumbled, running his fingers through his hair. "Besides, I'm not the one who nearly didn't graduate because I was flunking math. And because I stole the exams from my best friend."

"You just manipulated your tutor into marrying you." Brooke responded, shaking her head. "Now, Nathan. I'm serious. Go home, shower, come back. Drop Lydia off at my house and she can play with my boys. My mom is watching them. Please, please, please."

"You have to say that I'm your best friend. Over Haley, over Peyton. Even over Julian. I'm your best friend in the whole world." He said, crossing his arms. "And you have to call me Hotshot Scott for the rest of the day." He tapped his finger on his chin, before looking at his wife. "And, have to tweet out hashtag Naley forever." He said, smirking slightly.

"I tweet that every day." Brooke laughed, shaking her head.

"And, you have to let me have 10 minutes in the freezer with Haley." He finished, winking at his wife.

Haley raised her eyebrows, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

"Okay, no, no, probably not, and maybe." Brooke agreed, taking the towel from him and snapping it at him. "You better come back, Nathan. Leave Jamie here. We'll actually pay him today."

Nathan nodded, "Good enough for me. Bye baby." He hummed, leaning over and kissing Haley briefly. "Come on, Lydia. Want to go play with Davis and Jude?" He said, picking her up, pointing Jamie in Brooke's direction, and heading out of the cafe.

A few hours later, Haley stood at the register, almost in a trance as she watched her husband clean tables. They had just barely closed, and Nathan and Jamie were finishing cleaning up, while she was supposed to be helping Brooke, but she just couldn't take her gaze from the man she loved with everything in her. When he had changed clothes, he had definitely made sure to wear the clothes that she loved on him, no doubt about it. He would occasionally say something to Jamie, or vise versa. Or he would look over at her and smile.

"Haley." Brooke laughed, smiling at her. "If we ever want to get out of here, then maybe you should spend a little less time staring at Nathan's ass when he cleans a table, and more time staring at the money in the register."

"I'm so sorry, I've been doing this a lot today, huh?" Haley laughed, glancing over at Nathan again. "I can't help it. He's nice to look at."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. He knows it though so it's annoying." Brooke hummed, shaking her head. "Plus, your hormones get to decide for you, so it's not like you have a choice right now."

"Exactly. Are you okay? You've been a little tense today." Haley asked, looking over at her.

"I've been a bitch, haven't I?" Brooke groaned, leaning against the counter.

"No, no." Haley responded, shaking her head quickly.

"I've just been stressed with Baker man, and it doesn't help that all the Baker men in my life are driving me insane today. Plus we were slammed for some weird reason." Brooke grumbled, shaking her head. "Julian and I got into a fight this morning. Over coffee, okay? He thinks I should stop drinking it as much as I have been, and I told him that he should start drinking it so he's not tired as often. And he told me that maybe if I didn't work so late then I wouldn't be tired. Like, excuse me for doing my best thinking when the house is quiet and the kids are in bed. He doesn't have to stay up and wait for me. And it's not my fault he doesn't drink coffee." She sighed, rolling her eyes. "I have a big deadline coming up too, so I have to make sure I get everything done."

"Brooke, why did you come in today?" Haley laughed, shaking her head. "I could've handled this, you know. You should have just told me you needed to go."

"I felt bad though. Because it was really busy today." Brooke sighed, looking over at Nathan and Jamie.

"You're right across the street, Brooke. If I really needed you, I could've called you." Haley hummed, pulling Brooke into a tight hug. "And it sounds like Julian just wants to spend some time with you. You both are busy."

"Maybe, I don't know. We haven't really talked all that much today. Just a few texts back and forth. I guess they had a big day on set too." Brooke sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "Enough whining about my problems. What are you guys doing for Valentines day?" She asked both Nathan and Haley, looking back and forth between them.

"Is Valentines Day the fourteenth or the fifteenth?" Nathan asked, looking over at them.

"That answers that question pretty well." Haley laughed, smiling at Nathan. "It's the fourteenth, Nathan. Now get back to cleaning tables, chop chop. You two, James Lucas Scott. I see that phone out." She joked, looking at Brooke. "We are doing absolutely nothing. Babysitting Logan, and maybe Sawyer. So if you wanted to add your two kids into there, go ahead. You and Julian need the alone time anyways, I'm sure."

"Are you serious?" Brooke laughed, raising her eyebrows. "You would willingly take my monsters- I mean children?"

"I might try and recruit Nicole and Jordan into helping. So go right ahead." Haley hummed, shrugging.

"Jordan has plans. With me, Chuck, and Madison." Jamie chimed in.

"Oh lord." Haley shook her head, "She's going on a date with Chuck?"

"Mom, it's not a date." Jamie said simply, shaking his head.

"Yeah, come on Mom. It's not a date." Nathan mocked, smirking at her.

"Mom, it's not a date." Brooke added, laughing quietly.

"Okay, okay. I get it. It's not a date." Haley laughed, rolling her eyes. "Babe, we're taking Brooke's kids on Valentines Day."

"Okay, cool." Nathan hummed, setting the towel down and looking at them. "Okay, we're all done. It's all sparkly clean, and it's only 8:30. Go team Scott." He smirked, giving Jamie a high-five.

"Thanks for staying and helping. I owe you." Brooke hummed, letting out a deep breath.

"No you don't." Nathan said, nodding at her.

"Whatever. I better go relieve my mother. I guess I'll meet you guys there since you have to pick up Lydia." Brooke hummed, hugging Haley tightly. She walked over to Jamie, pulling some money out of her purse and handing it to him. "Here you go, buddy."

"No, it's okay Aunt Brooke." Jamie said, shaking his head. "It wasn't that bad."

"Okay, well take the money because I've been bitchy." Brooke whispered, patting his shoulder and laughing. "Oh, and don't say bitchy."

Jamie smiled, nodding at her and slipping the money into his pocket. "Got it."

"Sorry, Nate. I've got nothing for you. You still aren't my best friend, I didn't call you Hotshot Scott, I tried tweeting Naley forever, but it told me I couldn't because I've already tweeted that, and you didn't get the last thing you requested either. Sorry." Brooke laughed, shaking her head.

"Eh, it's the thought that counts." Nathan laughed, pulling her into a hug. "We'll see you back at your house, I guess."

"I could take Jamie in my car, and you guys could have a little time." Brooke said quietly, winking at him.

"I think we'll manage." Nathan laughed, smiling over at Haley. "I have her just where I want her, anyways. I'm going to take Jamie out to the Rivercourt after I drop off her and Lydia."

"Maybe you should bring her with you. She loves watching you in action." Brooke said in response, smirking.

"Oh, good idea. I never thought of that." He hummed, nodding at her and giving her a high-five.

"Hey you two. I don't know what you're talking about, but just from watching I know that you're up to something." Haley laughed, wrapping her arm around Jamie's shoulders. "Come on, Jame. You can sit shotgun, and we'll make your father sit in the back."

"Sweet." Jamie laughed, smirking and walking outside with Haley.

Nathan laughed, "Thanks Brooke, you put me in the doghouse."

"No I didn't." Brooke laughed, elbowing him softly. "I just gave you a perfect plan to get some. You're welcome."

"As if I need a plan. Punch me in the stomach, I dare you." He responded, smirking down at her.

"Leave me alone." She laughed, rolling her eyes and walking out with him, locking the door quickly.

Nathan walked her up to her car, pulling open the door for her. "After you, Mrs. Baker. Figured I better walk you to the door. Never know what kind of creeps are hanging around her."

"You know, I love being called Mrs. Baker. It doesn't happen nearly enough. Start calling me that." Brooke hummed, patting his cheek. "Thanks, Nate. For your help."

"Of course. That's what friends are for. Plus, I caught Haley gawking at me a few times." He smirked, nodding over at their car.

"I caught her multiple times. I'm pretty sure she didn't get like any work done." Brooke laughed, rolling her eyes. "I'll see you guys at my house, alright? I mean it. Thanks for the help. It's been a long day."

"Anything I can help with?" Nathan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Your amazing wife already helped me out a bit. She's a keeper." She laughed, nodding.

"Don't I know it. I'll see you soon." He hummed, slamming the car door shut.

Brooke's plan had worked fairly well for Nathan. By the time they got the kids to bed, Haley had pretty much attacked him, not that he was complaining.

Nathan looked down at her almost sleeping form, letting out a small sigh. "Hey." He said softly, nudging her.

"Hm?" Haley asked him, lifting up her head, gently scratching her fingers along his chest.

"It didn't go very well with Elizabeth today." He said softly, kissing her forehead.

"What happened?" She asked, frowning.

"She told me to call her if I ever got over you. As if that would ever happen. Ever. I mean, look at you. You're amazing." He said softly, gesturing down at her.

"I have a feeling that's not where it ended." She sighed, sitting up a bit, pulling the sheet up with her.

"She sort of... Cornered me and kissed me. Not like on the lips or anything, but right here." He grumbled, tapping his face.

"I guess you were smart to wait to tell me this after we had sex, because it probably would not have happened." She sighed, looking away from him for a second. "Is that it?"

"Yeah. I told her to get the hell out and to stay away from us otherwise I would call the police." Nathan said, letting out a deep breath. "Sorry for not telling you earlier. You guys were busy."

"No, no. I understand." Haley sighed, standing up slowly, quickly getting dressed.

"Are you mad?" He asked her quietly, looking over at her.

"I'm pissed at her, but I'm a little mad at you, Nathan. Why did you even let her get close enough to kiss you?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"I was stepped away from her, but I hit the wall." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "I was shocked. This wasn't how I expected it to happen."

"How did you expect it to happen? She's such a slut, Nathan. Dammit, I should have known she would do this." Haley sighed, sitting down on the bed and closing her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Hales. I don't know what you want me to say." He responded, looking down at his hands.

"I don't know what I want you to say either, Nathan." She sighed, closing her eyes.

Nathan stood up slowly, getting himself dressed as well. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, Haley. I'm not just saying that, okay? I love you so much, and I would never do anything to make you think otherwise. Got it?" Nathan said, sitting back down in bed.

Haley sighed, looking at him and resting her hand on his cheek. "I don't know if that was it or not, but it was close enough. We'll talk more about this tomorrow, okay?"


	49. Chapter 49

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 49**

"Tell me again why we're hanging out with a bunch of kids on Valentine's Day while everyone else gets to have fun?" Nathan asked her, leaning against the counter.

"Because everyone knows that we've been married for a million years. Valentines Day is just meh for us." Haley said simply, nodding up at him.

"Who says it's just meh, hm? What if I had big plans?" He questioned, raising his eyebrows.

"Did you?" She asked him, shrugging slightly.

"No, not really." He sighed, kissing her head. "I guess I did agree to this, hm?"

"Yeah. Plus, Nicole is going to come help, so it won't be all us. We have to pay her, of course. But oh well." She said, running her fingers through her hair.

"I don't want her to come help. We can handle it. We're going to have like five or six kids, so we have to be ready." He said, shrugging.

"Why don't we get through this baby before we decide how many kids we're going to have?" She laughed, kissing his cheek softly. "So Jamie will be gone for awhile tonight with Jordan and Chuck and Madison. So it will be us, Nicole, Lydia, Davis, Logan, Jude, and Sawyer. Is that everyone?"

"I think so, I don't know. What about Mouth and Millie? Are we taking the baby?" He questioned.

"Yeah, right. Penelope will be coming. That's everyone." Haley sighed, shaking her head. "This should be interesting."

"Are we getting anything out of this? Because we are giving up our night." He hummed, shrugging slightly. "We could have plans. You can't seem to get enough of me these past couple weeks. It's like we're newly weds again." He smirked down at her.

"Shut up, Nathan." Haley sighed, shaking her head. "Last year we fell asleep on the couch watching Space Jam." She pointed out. "Now, go find anything that will break easily and hide it.

"Okay, I would never fall asleep watching Space Jam." Nathan laughed, kissing her cheek. "You know, we can still celebrate Valentines Day, the kids are at school for a couple more hours." He hummed, kissing her forehead.

"First we have to make sure there's nothing for Davis and Jude to break." She laughed.

A few hours later, Haley sat down on the couch next to Nathan, glancing over at Logan. "Okay, Nate. You have to take Davis and Jude somewhere. Your poor dog is exhausted, Lydia and Sawyer are getting annoyed with them. They're being so loud that they're going to wake up Penelope, and I think Nicole is about ready to bail. Put the video games away and go somewhere." She said, nodding at him.

"Yeah! We should go out to the Rivercourt." Logan agreed, standing up. "It's getting kind of sad how much I'm beating you at this."

"Okay, I'm not actually that bad at it!" Nathan grumbled, pulling Logan into a headlock. "But yeah, let's go. Are you sure you'll be okay?" He asked, looking at Haley.

"Dude, you're the one that's taking the crazy kids. I get the easy ones." Haley laughed, patting his cheek. "This is the best Valentines Day gift that you could give me. Ever."

"Oh, come on. They aren't that bad." He laughed, standing up. "Davis! Jude! Let's go!" He called out, leaning over and kissing Haley's cheek. "Have fun with the biggest monster of them all, Nicole."

"Be nice." Haley laughed, smacking his leg softly. "Don't over do it, Nathan. Thank you, love you."

"Yeah, yeah." Nathan laughed, winking at her. "Come on, Logan. Let's go show you how much cooler I am than your dad."

"I already know that." Logan laughed, waving at Haley.

Nathan smirked slightly, picking up both Davis and Jude, throwing them over his shoulders. "Bye babe! See you later!"

"Bye babe!" Davis mocked, sticking his tongue out at Haley, waving at her.

Nicole came down the stairs a second later, holding Penelope in her arms. "Those kids are crazy."

"I know right? Brooke and Julian certainly have their hands full." Haley laughed, smiling up at her.

"I'm kind of excited for Megan to have her baby. I mean, I know it's not an ideal situation, and my dad and Grayson are both trying to wrap it around their heads, but I think it will be kind of fun." Nicole said softly, looking down at Penelope and smiling.

"You'll love it. The best part about a baby not being yours, is that when it starts crying you can just give it back to the parents." Haley laughed, shrugging. "How're things going since she's been back at college?"

"She's doing good. Grayson kicked his room mate out finally, and she's living there on a trial basis. I hope that he's getting it together." Nicole said, shrugging slightly and sitting down.

"Oh, no. I know how she's doing. I mean, how are you guys doing? Is everything going okay at home and with Deb and your dad?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Okay, okay. I'm not going to get into touchy feely stuff with you. You're lucky I'm here to help." Nicole laughed, shaking her head. "Everything seems to be going okay. I think my dad still feels bad, which he should. But besides that, everything is good. The house is a lot more quiet without Megan there."

"I bet. How are things going at school?" Haley asked, glancing towards the stairs.

"Teachers are so annoying- no offense." Nicole laughed, shrugging slightly.

"Hey, no. I get it." Haley laughed, smiling. "What about boys?"

"I'm not into the whole girl talk thing, Haley. Or any of the guys in Tree Hill." Nicole hummed, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, come on. There has to be someone? Just stay away from the basketball players, they're trouble." Haley responded, smiling.

"Ugh, I have no idea how you even got married at sixteen." Nicole said, shaking her head.

"Trust me, I'm not entirely sure either." Haley laughed, shrugging. "But, if you ever do want to talk about boys, or y'know, sex or anything... I'm here."

"Oh wow, okay. I'm pretty sure I'm alright in that department." Nicole laughed, shaking her head.

"I'm just saying, if you have questions or anything..." Haley hummed, nodding at her.

"Okay, I'm not a virgin so I won't be needed that. I'm trusting you with that secret because my dad doesn't know, and the last thing I want is to know about you and Nathan's sex life." Nicole cringed, shaking her head.

"Okay, good. Because I'm awful at giving the sex talk." Haley laughed, looking over at Penelope.

"Speaking of boys, what's the deal with this Chuck kid?" Nicole asked her, raising her eyebrows.

Haley started laughing, shaking her head. "Oh, I don't even know where to start when it comes to Chuck. He's something else." She hummed, smirking slightly.

"Something else like I should just stay out of it, or something else like I should tell her to stay away from him?" Nicole asked her.

"Nathan would say to stay away from him. But I think you should just wait to see how this plays out. Chuck isn't as bad as he used to be, but he might mess it up all by himself. Him and Jamie have been friends for a long time, I could try to find something out from him, if you'd like?" Haley suggested, shrugging.

"Yeah, because Megan couldn't even get much out of her." Nicole laughed, sighing softly. She looked at Haley for a second, frowning. "I really didn't want to like you, Haley."

"Thanks?" Haley responded, raising her eyebrows.

"I mean, I still don't like Nathan- no offense, but I'm warming up to you." Nicole laughed, shrugging.

"Y'know, I think that you and Nathan are more similar than you think." Haley pointed out, smiling at her.

"Okay, I take it back. I don't like you anymore." Nicole grumbled, shaking her head quickly.

"Come on. It's true. Can't hate me for telling the truth." Haley hummed.

"Yeah, I can. In fact, I'm going to head home. You have fun with this." Nicole laughed, setting Penelope in Haley's arms.

"Wait, wait. Let me pay you at least. I owe you for helping me out." Haley hummed, shaking her head.

"Okay, I figure you owe me at least a hundred dollars for each child. I'll cut some slack on Penelope and Lydia. Fifty bucks for them." Nicole hummed, smirking slightly.

"That sounds a lot like something Nathan would say." Haley pointed out.

"Okay, never mind. You can pay me another time. I can show myself out." Nicole grumbled, rolling her eyes. "I'll see you later, Haley. Let me know if you need me to come back."

"I think I'll manage. Bye Nicole, drive safely." Haley laughed, waving at her and smiling down at Penelope.

"Okay, so Jamie just went to bed, which means every kid is down for the night. And it's... 10:30. Wow, we let that kid stay out way too late for a school night." Nathan laughed, sitting down on the couch next to Haley. "This is what it feels like to have twenty kids, hm?"

"Seven." Haley laughed, smiling at him. "But close."

"Davis and Jude count for at least thirteen extra kids." Nathan pointed out, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"Good math. That's very sexy." Haley hummed, kissing his cheek. "What do you say, Nathan Scott? Want to put on Space Jam and fall asleep on the couch?"

"You really are my dream woman." He laughed, kissing her head. "I have another idea, though." He hummed, standing up and holding out his hand. "Come with me."

She raised her eyebrows, grabbing his hand and standing up. "What did you do?"

"Nothing really, but it is Valentine's Day, and I do sort of love you." He hummed, leading her up the stairs.

"Fifteen years, and we're down to sort of?" She laughed, squeezing his hand softly.

"Okay, okay. My bad." He smirked at her, leading her into their bathroom.

Haley looked around the candle lit room, smiling slightly. "You're forgiven. I kind of, sort of love you too." She hummed, kissing him softly.

"Thank you. Check this out." Nathan said, holding up a bottle. "Non-alcoholic, hm? And I have some chocolate covered strawberries, especially for you."

"You are so good to me." Haley said softly, kissing him briefly.

"But wait, there's more. I thought we could take a romantic, super sexy bath together. I scented it with whatever that stuff is that you like." He hummed, winking at her. "Also, I've got a baby monitor so if Penelope wakes up, we'll be ready. Shall we?"

"Well, as long as you've thought of everything." She smiled, wrapping her arms around him.

Nathan smirked down at her, kissing her softly. "I love you, Haley James Scott." He hummed, pulling his shirt over his head.

The two of them laid in the bathtub silently for a few minutes, Haley's head rested on Nathan's chest, before Nathan spoke up.

"So, will you be my valentine?" He asked, smirking down at her.

"I thought you'd never ask." Haley laughed, looking up at him. "But I do remember you asking Lydia the same thing this morning."

"Wouldn't be the first time I've had two valentines." Nathan responded, laughing quietly.

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "You're pushing your luck. Good thing you're hot."

"This is nice." He said softly, leaning his head back, closing his eyes.

"Yeah, it is." Haley responded, laying her head against his shoulder, picking up his hand and intertwining their fingers. "Yes, I'll be your valentine. It's a good thing you asked, because I was starting to get other offers."

"Oh, I'm sure." He smirked, glancing down at her. "This was kind of fun today, you know? I mean, crazy... But fun. So I wouldn't call it an awful Valentines Day."

"It was fun. Davis and Jude love you so much. All of those kids do, really. You're fun." Haley hummed, "And you're a great dad."

"You're a great mom." He said, kissing the top of her head. "And a great wife."

"There's no one in the world I'd rather spend the rest of my life with. Always and forever." She hummed, smiling slightly.

"Always and forever." He repeated back to her, kissing her hand softly.

"This was sweet of you, Nathan." Haley said softly, gesturing around.

"I do what I can. I got you something too." Nathan responded, yawning.

"Really? What is it?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Why would I tell you? Every year you ask, and you ask." He laughed, closing his eyes. "Why don't you just lay back and relax? These quiet moments don't happen very often."

"It usually takes some begging for you to get into a bath with me." She smiled, letting out a deep breath.

"That's a lie and you know it." Nathan laughed, kissing her head.

"We're so old we can rarely stay up late enough to do this." She pointed out, glancing up at him.

"We are not old, Haley James." He grumbled, scooping up some bubbles, rubbing them on her cheek.

"We have a teenage son." She said, sighing and shaking her head. "Who has a girlfriend."

"Oh come on. My mom? She's old. William? He's like a thousand. We are young. I just have the back of a seventy year old man, but besides that... Completely young. Not a gray hair on our heads, and trust me... I've been checking mine." Nathan laughed, kissing the top of her head.

"You make a good point." Haley hummed, looking up at him. "You're handsome as ever."

"Thank you. You haven't aged at all." He smiled, winking at her, wrapping his arms tightly around her, closing his eyes.

"Have you seen Elizabeth?" She asked, sighing softly.

"No. Maybe we can actually fire people without them going psycho." He laughed, smiling slightly.

"I feel like maybe I should talk to her, give her a piece of my mind for trying to seduce my husband." She grumbled, shaking her head.

"I think it'd be best if you just stayed away from the situation all together." He said softly, sighing.

"Are you sure? Because I have a pretty mean bitch slap." She hummed, rolling her eyes.

"I'm sure. Let's not talk about this right now. Sit back and relax, babe." Nathan grumbled, sucking in a deep breath.

Haley sighed softly, resting her head back on Nathan's shoulder, closing her eyes and letting herself relax against him.

After a minute of silence, there was crying from the baby monitor.

"Looks like this is where I go." Haley laughed, getting out quickly, wrapping a towel around herself.

"Or I can?" Nathan suggested, raising his eyebrows.

"Nope, you can just clean up in here and I will meet you back in the bedroom." She hummed, grabbing his chin and kissing him softly. "But don't forget to bring the chocolate covered strawberries."

He laughed quietly, nodding up at her. "I wouldn't dream of it. Happy Valentines Day, Hales."


	50. Chapter 50

**I do not own One Tree Hill**

 **Chapter 50**

"What the hell?" Nathan grumbled when his four month pregnant wife smacked him on the back of the head in the middle of the night, and shoved him lightly.

"Asshole." Haley grumbled in response, glaring at him and rolling her eyes.

"What did I do?" He asked, raising his eyebrows and shaking his head.

She shook her head, rolling on her side so she was facing away from him.

"Hales?" He laughed, raising his eyebrows.

"Stop, Nathan." She grumbled, "And don't laugh at me."

"I'm not laughing, babe." He responded, gently resting his hand on her back.

"I'm not in a touchy mood right now, Nathan." She said, glancing over her shoulder.

"What did I do?" He asked her, shaking his head.

"Go to sleep, I really don't want to talk to you right now." Haley grumbled, tugging the blankets off of him.

Nathan raised his eyebrows, unable to stop the loud laugh that escaped his lips, only laughing harder when she shoved him again.

"Stop laughing at me, Nathan." She responded, shaking her head.

"Okay, I'm just going to go back to sleep..." He trailed off, smirking slightly, carefully reaching over and taking the comforter back from her, before having it yanked away again. "Babe, what's going on? You've been mad at me almost all day, and I don't know what I did."

Haley looked over her shoulder at him for a second, opening her mouth to talk before shaking her head and closing her eyes. "That was all the talking I wanted to do tonight." She mumbled, letting out a deep sigh.

"Okay, fine. Be stubborn." He sighed, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath. "But you better not try and cuddle with me tonight because I won't do it." He hummed, shrugging. "Okay, I will but I'll put up a fight."

She let out a deep sigh, "If you keep talking, I'm going to sleep somewhere else."

"Okay, okay. I'm done. But you're going to have to tell me what I did to you eventually." He said, staring up at the ceiling for a minute, until he heard Haley's breathing slow. He glanced over at her, laughing quietly to himself, shaking his head and letting sleep consume him as well.

Nathan walked into the house after his morning run, pulling his headphones out of his ears, smiling at his kids. "Hey guys. Ready for school?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Never." Jamie sighed, shaking his head. "Mom is in a bad mood."

"Yeah." Nathan responded, kissing the top of Lydia's head, taking the spoon from her bowl and shoving a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"Hey!" Lydia frowned, scowling up at him. "Go shower, Daddy. You smell bad."

"That's not very nice." Nathan frowned, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Yuck!" Lydia frowned, shoving him as hard as she could. "You're all sweaty. I hate it."

"That's because I exercise, Lydia. I'm healthy." Nathan said, shaking his head and glancing at Haley as she walked into the kitchen.

"Are you guys almost ready to go? I have to go to be at the studio in twenty minutes." Haley said, letting out a deep breath.

"Mommy, will you tell him to stop hugging me?" Lydia complained, shaking her head.

"Lydia, you're breaking my heart." Nathan gasped, clutching his chest and falling to his knees, before falling face down on the ground.

Lydia's eyes widened and she quickly climbed off her chair, kneeling down in front of Nathan, shaking him softly.

Haley rolled her eyes slightly as her husband continued to tease their daughter, not giving Lydia any reaction other than just laying there.

"Lydia! Look at what you did." Jamie said, laughing quietly and looking down at Nathan.

"I didn't mean to!" She cried, looking up at Haley with tears in her eyes.

"Sweetie, don't cry." Haley said quickly, hurrying over and hugging her. "Nathan, knock it off and go shower." She said, shaking her head.

Nathan picked up his head, looking up at Haley, who was shooting daggers at him pretty much. He chuckled quietly to himself because he had no idea what he could've done to make her so upset with him, but it annoyed the hell out of her when he would start laughing at her anger.

He looked over at Lydia, smiling. "I'm fine, Lydia. Just joking around with you." He stood to his feet slowly, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm sorry."

Lydia huffed, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "That was not nice, Nathan Royal Scott."

"I apologize, Lydia Bob Scott." He responded, kissing her head and laughing quietly.

Haley let out a deep breath, rubbing Lydia's shoulder briefly, looking at Jamie. "Are you almost ready?"

"Yeah, give me a second." Jamie hummed, heading up the stairs quickly.

"I can take them." Nathan said, walking over to the fridge and grabbing a water bottle from it, shrugging.

"No, I have to go into work anyways." Haley said simply, taking Jamie's seat, looking down at the countertop.

"Okay." He said, looking at her and raising his eyebrows.

"Do you remember what tomorrow is, Nathan?" She questioned him, looking over at him.

Nathan froze, running through a list of every day that was important to her in his brain. "Saturday?"

"I thought so." She sighed, running her fingers through her hair, rubbing her neck softly.

"You're being awfully short with me today, Haley. Just tell me what today is." He grumbled, glancing over at Lydia.

"Tomorrow is your mom's birthday. She's having a little family get together thing." She informed him, tapping her fingers on the counter top.

He sighed softly, nodding slowly. "Right. Tomorrow is my mom's birthday." He said, running his fingers through his hair. "What would I do without you?" He asked her, smirking slightly.

Haley rolled her eyes slightly, letting out a deep breath, "Probably not much." She mumbled, shaking her head.

"Okay, I'm going to go shower. Are you sure you don't want me to take the kids to school?" Nathan questioned her, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, I can do it." She said, looking over at him.

"Okay, well... Have fun." He shrugged slightly, kissing the top of Lydia's head. "Have a good day at school, Lydia."

"Can I skip school today instead of go?" Lydia asked, looking up at him.

"Not today, sorry. I can't stay home otherwise I would let you." Nathan shrugged, smiling at her. "But tomorrow is Saturday so no school."

Lydia sighed softly, nodding. "Okay, I'll go to school."

"Good. I'll see you later, okay?" He hummed, nodding at her. "I'll send Jamie down. Is there anything you need from me?" Nathan asked, looking over at Haley.

Haley looked at him, sighing softly. "No, I think that I'm alright."

He nodded slowly, walking over to her and pulling her into a hug. "Drive safe. Call me if you need anything."

She sent him a small smile, "I will." She said softly, kissing his cheek. "You call me if you need anything too."

"I will. I love you." He said, letting go over her, and rushing up the stairs.

Haley watched him leave, looking over at Lydia and smiling. "Let's go get in the car, and Jamie can meet us out there."

Nathan and Clay sat at one of the tables in Karen's Cafe at around noon, talking over one of the players that they were interested in signing.

"Okay boys, sorry for the wait. What can I get for you?" Brooke asked, walking up to the table.

"Clay can order whatever the hell he wants, but I know what I desperately need." Nathan said, looking up at her. "Some serious Brooke Davis help."

"Most people need that." Brooke laughed, raising her eyebrows. "I'm here until Haley shows up in about half an hour. What can I do for you?"

"I did something to Haley yesterday, and I honestly have no clue what I did. But she's been pissed at me since about six o'clock yesterday. She woke me up in the middle of the night just to tell me I was an asshole." Nathan sighed, shaking his head and looking at Clay. "Do you think maybe you can work your best friend magic and figure out what I did?"

"I'm Team Haley, Nate. I should freeze you out right now and only talk to Clay." Brooke laughed, shaking her head. "No, I'll talk to her."

"If she has a good reason then you can freeze me out. But she's been very hormonal this pregnancy, so be cautious in the way you approach things." He sighed, leaning back in his seat.

"I will. I sort of know your wife pretty well, you know. But I'll be careful." She hummed, nodding at him.

"I appreciate you more than you'll ever know, Brooke." Nathan laughed, letting out a deep breath.

"Yeah, Brooke. You're a real superhero." Clay cut in, smirking slightly.

"I know I am. Now what can I get for you?" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows.

Haley walked into the cafe shortly after, sighing softly when she saw Brooke talking to Nathan and Clay. She walked over to them slowly, "Okay, Brooke. I'm here to relieve you. Sorry if I'm a little late, I had to finish up something at the studio."

"Don't worry, Haley." Brooke laughed, smiling over at her. "Let me just finish up at this table then I'll be on my way."

"We're just another table now, huh?" Clay laughed, looking up at her.

"No, you're just another table that got amazing service so you better tip like it." Brooke joked, rolling her eyes.

Clay shook his head, smiling up at Haley. "Hey, Hales. Guess what?"

"Hm?" Haley asked, looking at him.

"We're finding out what we're having next week." Clay hummed, his smile growing.

"Clay! That's awesome." Haley smiled at him, leaning over and hugging him quickly.

"I know. Quinn and I are pretty excited." He said, nodding his head quickly.

"Hopefully whatever you have, we have so they can play Ravens Basketball together." Nathan laughed, bumping his fist against Clay's.

"You know it." Clay smirked, nodding his head.

"If Nathan's kids can ever play basketball successfully. They're only like three inches tall." Brooke laughed, nudging Haley.

"Jamie is pretty damn good, and he's only thirteen. Plenty of time to grow." Haley shook her head, "My poor baby always gets mocked for his height."

"He mocks himself, Hales." Nathan pointed out, shrugging.

"He'll get taller eventually." Haley sighed, looking over at Brooke. "I'm going to go in the back, don't stay too long. You have a business to run." She said, walking back there.

"She's kind of bossy." Brooke laughed, shaking her head. "That's my cue. I'll see what I can do for you, Nate." She hummed, following Haley back there. "Okay, Hales. What's up?" She asked her friend, raising her eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" Haley asked, looking over at her.

"My happy, cute couple seems less happy and not cute." Brooke pointed out, crossing her arms.

"Your happy cute couple?" Haley laughed, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes. What's going on?" Brooke asked her, frowning.

"Don't worry about it, Brooke. We're fine. You have to go." Haley sighed, shaking her head.

"No, Haley James Scott. Tell me, please." Brooke let out an over exaggerated sigh. "Or else I'm going to start guessing."

"Guess away, but don't you have somewhere to be?" Haley questioned, raising her eyebrows.

"We don't keep secrets, Hales. So it must be something personal." Brooke hummed, tapping her chin. "Fifteen years must've finally caught up to Nathan, hm? He's not impressing you anymore in the bedroom?"

"Brooke!" Haley said quickly, shaking her head.

"You're right. You would've told me if that was the case." Brooke sighed softly, looking at her.

"Okay, okay." Haley sighed, looking over at her. "We took Lydia and her friend to the beach yesterday, and Nathan was staring at this girl that was wearing a swimsuit that left nothing to the imagination. Right in front of me." She said, letting out a deep breath.

"Are you sure?" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows. "I mean, Nathan would carry you for the rest of your life if you decided you were tired of walking."

"No, Brooke. I'm sure there was a different reason he was staring at her boobs." Haley grumbled, looking at her.

"Okay, calm down." Brooke said, shaking her head. "I'm sure he wasn't interested in her or anything, Haley. I mean, you have great boobs and when you're pregnant they're even better..."

"Brooke, come on." Haley sighed, "I feel like I'm getting bigger every second and I can't really blame him." She let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry. You have to go."

"I don't need to leave, buddy." Brooke frowned, pulling her into a hug. "Hey. Nathan loves you, Haley. Come on. You know that, forget your hormones and focus on what you know." She said softly.

"I'm sorry, Brooke. I'm being dramatic probably." Haley looked at her, nodding. "I'll be okay. I know you have a lot of work to do."

"Are you sure?" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah. I'll let you know if I need anything, and you let me know if you need anything." Haley assured her, sending her a small smile.

"Okay. I can come back if you need to go back to the studio or anything. I need another Haley James Scott record soon." Brooke hummed, hugging her again.

"Working on it." Haley said, nodding at her. "My baby is going to need some new clothes, so get on that too."

"Working on it." Brooke laughed, "I'll talk to you later, Hales. Keep me posted on your life."

She walked out slowly, her eyes narrowing at Nathan. Brooke walked over to him, slapping the back of his head and grabbing his wrist, pulling him to his feet. "What the hell is a matter with you? Your wife is pregnant, dude."

"Brooke, what the hell is a matter with you, huh? I didn't do anything." Nathan scowled, shaking his head.

"You better not have, because Haley just explained it to me and if it's true then I'll kick you ass." Brooke grumbled, grabbing his ear. "Yes, I'm doing this to you because this is what I do to my boys when they're in trouble and it's effective."

"Ow, dammit! Just tell me what I did." Nathan grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"I heard this is a pretty damn good place to get coffee." A voice rang behind them, causing Nathan to whip around.


	51. Chapter 51

**"I do not own One Tree Hill**

 **I don't know what happened when I uploaded this the first time. Sorry!**

 **Chapter 51**

"Uncle Cooper!" Nathan cheered, escaping out of Brooke's grasp, grinning at him and hurrying over, pulling him into a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Tomorrow is your mom's birthday." Cooper reminded him. "I'm only in town until Sunday though."

"That's great, man. Makes spending time with William's kids seem easier." Nathan laughed.

Brooke cleared her throat, smiling at Cooper. "Hot Uncle Cooper."

"Brooke Davis." Cooper laughed, nodding at her. "Sorry to interrupt your conversation."

"No, don't worry about it. You should meet my former agent, Clay. Clay, come here!" Nathan said, motioning over to his friend.

Clay raised his eyebrows, walking over. "Sorry. Didn't want to interrupt you and Brooke's conversation so I zoned out on my food."

"Clay, this is my Uncle Cooper." Nathan said, nodding at Cooper.

"Ah, you're the famous Cooper that I've always heard about but never actually met." Clay said, shaking his hand.

"Can I come to the birthday party?" Brooke asked, hugging Cooper quickly.

"Brooke, Julian called. He wants to know if you're ever going to stop drooling over my uncle." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head.

Haley stepped out of the back room, letting out a deep breath. She raised her eyebrows as her eyes landed on the group, smiling slightly. "Cooper!" She said, walking over and hugging him quickly.

"Haley, it's always nice to see the woman that keeps my nephew in check." Cooper laughed, slapping Nathan on the back.

"It's unusual to see you twice in a year." Haley said, nodding at him.

"Yeah, I just decided it's been awhile since I've celebrated my big sister's birthday with her. Plus my wife thought it would be a good idea to come. You know how it is." Cooper laughed, nodding at her. "I also heard that this was a great place to get coffee."

"It's the best, that's for sure." Clay said, wrapping his arm around Haley's shoulders. "It also has the most kind and forgiving owners." He added, glancing over at Nathan, holding up a thumbs up.

"I don't doubt it. Well, Nate... I brought your mom a gift, but I also brought a surprise for you." Cooper said, nodding at him.

Nathan raised his eyebrows, looking at his uncle. "What is it?"

"More like who is it." Cooper said, slinging his arm around Nathan's shoulders.

"Well... Then who is it?" Nathan questioned, looking at Clay and shrugging slightly.

"Toni, come in here!" Cooper called out, looking over at the door.

Nathan looked over as his childhood friend walked into the cafe, a small smirk appearing on his face.  
"Nathan Scott." Toni said, walking over to him.

"Daytona Green." He responded. "It's been a long time.""Yeah, the last time I saw you... You were crashing a race car." Toni laughed, pulling him into a hug.

"Not my best moment." He smirked. "But I'm pretty sure you've gotten shorter."

"Oh, shut up." Toni laughed, pushing him softly, rolling her eyes.

Brooke and Clay made eye contact, before both their gazes fell on Haley, who had her eyes fixed on Nathan, her eyebrows raised.

Brooke cleared her throat loudly, looking over at Nathan.

Nathan turned back to everyone else, keeping his arm around Toni's shoulders. "Toni, this is my wife, Haley."

"Ah, the girl behind the race car crashing. It's nice to meet you." Toni said, shaking Haley's hand.

Haley narrowed her eyes, letting out a small sigh at the slightly guilty feeling that flashed over her.

Nathan glanced at Cooper, before looking over at Clay and Brooke. "These are our friends Clay and Brooke. Clay is married to Haley's sister."

"You look kind of familiar." Clay said, nodding at her.

"She's a pro racer. Super awesome." Nathan said, nodding at her.

"Oh, whatever NBA Superstar." Toni said, shaking her head.

"Is Jarrett here?" He asked, looking down at her.

"No. I was at my dad's house the same time as Cooper, and he invited me along for your mom's birthday party." She smiled, nodding at him.

"Damn, where's my invite, Coop?" Brooke asked, frowning at him.

"Brooke, you aren't invited." Nathan said, shaking his head. "Your children will go crazy."

"You act like them, Nathan." Brooke said, crossing her arms.

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Glad that the conversations you two have are so mature." Clay chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"Well, what are you doing this afternoon?" Nathan asked, looking at Daytona and Cooper.

"My family really wants to go to the beach, so that's probably where I'll start." Cooper hummed, nodding at Nathan.

"I was hoping to spend time with you, and maybe Lucas if he's around." Toni hummed, nodding at him.

"Sounds awesome." Nathan said quickly, smiling. "Clay, do you mind if I...?"

Clay looked down at Haley, feeling her tense up under his arm. "I don't know, Nate..."

"We don't have anything this afternoon, man. We were probably just going to play paper football for an hour then call it." Nathan said, shrugging.

"Okay, I guess I don't mind..." Clay trailed off.

"Sweet." Nathan said, looking at Haley. "Can we switch cars?"

"What?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows.

Cooper looked between Nathan and Haley, before looking at Brooke and raising his eyebrows.

Brooke shrugged slightly, letting out a deep sigh. "Nathan."

Nathan looked at Brooke, frowning slightly. "Just a sec." He said, holding up a finger. "Where are you keys, Hales?"

Haley rubbed her neck, letting out a deep breath. "They're in my purse in the back. Just put your keys in there. I'll pick up the kids."

"Thanks." Nathan said, heading into the back.

"Yeah... Well I have to get going. Cooper, it was nice to see you. Toni it was nice to meet you." Brooke said, resting her hand on Haley's arm. "Call me later." She hummed, nodding slowly. "Oh, and could you also tell Nate that I need his help with something, so he should stop by my house tonight."

Haley nodded, "Yeah. I'll let him know. See you later, Brooke." She said, waving at her friend.

Brooke smiled at her, nodding slowly and heading out.

"So Nathan actually crashed a race car, huh? I thought he was just making that up because he got that scar in a stupid way." Clay laughed, smiling at them.

"Yeah, it was a nice one too." Toni said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "He can be pretty accident prone. One time, when we were kids he tripped and started rolling down this hill, and of course I was in front of him so he comes barreling into me. We almost took out my little brother too but he was the only one smart enough to get out of the way." She laughed, shaking her head.

Clay nodded, laughing quietly. "He does have quite the record of getting himself into messy situations. But don't we all? This town carries bad luck or something." He shrugged, looking at Haley.

"Haley! I can't find them!" Nathan's voice rang from the back.

"The question is, can he ever find them?" Clay laughed, rolling his eyes.

Haley sighed softly, shaking her head and walking into the kitchen, yanking her purse from Nathan's grasp, pulling her keys out of it and throwing them at him.

Nathan caught them before they fell to the ground, raising his eyebrows. "Thanks. Here are my keys." He hummed, setting them in her purse.

"You're such an asshole, Nathan." Haley sighed, running her fingers through her hair, shaking her head.

"I know." He responded, shrugging slightly.

"You know?" She laughed out bitterly.

"Well- I don't know, actually. But you seem set on convincing me I am so I better just give you what you want so you can stop being mad." He shrugged, kissing her forehead. "I'll see you later, babe."

She stood there for a second, staring at him. "I'm being a bitch to you, but you're still being nice to me... Why?"

"You aren't a bitch, ever." He said simply. "Plus, whatever I did must've hurt your feelings, so I'm letting you get it all out."

She frowned slightly, letting out a deep breath. "I'll see you later, Nathan. Brooke wants you to go help her out with something when you're done with your friend."

"Alright. See you." He said, hurrying out. He groaned when there was some laughter, and all eyes turned to him when he walked out. "You guys better not be laughing at me."

"Why would we laugh at anything you ever do, Super Nathan?" Clay asked him, raising his eyebrows.

Nathan looked at Toni, shaking his head. "I hate you so much." He groaned, rolling his eyes. "Let's get out of here. You can check out my sweet driving skills in my wife's car."

"I'll walk out there with you." Cooper said, looking up when Haley handed him so coffee.

"On the house." Haley said softly, smiling at him.

""You are the sweetest. Way too good for Nathan." Cooper laughed, smirking at his nephew. He took a drink, nodding. "Rumors are true. It's damn good."

"You're too kind." Haley laughed, nodding at him.

"Bye Hales." Nathan said, waving at her.

""It was nice meeting you, Haley." Toni said, grabbing Nathan's arm and pulling him out, Cooper following them out.

Clay looked at Haley, leaning on the counter. "Place is pretty empty today, Haley. Your waitresses look bored."

"A lot of people are at work right now. Who is that woman that is all over my husband, Clay?" Haley snapped, reaching across the counter, grabbing his shirt.

"Woah, okay. Scary Haley is coming out." Clay said, letting out a deep breath and looking down at her. "To tell you the truth, Haley... I really don't know much about her. She drives a race car. Nathan doesn't talk about her. He's maybe said a few things about her but that's it."

"What has he said?" She asked him, scowling.

"I was watching racing and he said that she's good at it, and that he's known her since he was young. That's it, I swear." He said, frowning at her. "You're scarier than Quinn's dance moves."

"I'm in a bitchy mood, Clay. So leave or be nice." Haley said, letting out a deep breath. "I love him, Clay."

"He loves you too, Haley. I don't know what's going on with you, but he's been asking me all day if Quinn said anything to me about it." He said, shrugging. "What even happened, anyways?"

Haley let out a deep breath, tapping her fingers on the counter. "I'm trying to let it go, so I'd rather not talk about it. Surprise Quinn and go home early."

A few hours later, Nathan stood at the Rivercourt with Toni as the sun was setting, waiting for Lucas to show up. He spun the ball on his finger, before tossing it into the hoop.

"You've got skills." Toni laughed, shaking her head.

"You've got 'em too. Though, I don't think that you're as good at driving Haley's car as I am." He pointed out, shrugging.

"We haven't talked about Haley much today. We've talked about your kids, and your job, but not about your wife. Why is that?" Toni asked, sitting down on the bleachers. "All I know about her—from you anyways— is that she broke your heart and made you crash a race car. I know more from the media and stuff like that, but I don't really know anything about her."

Nathan laughed quietly, looking over at her. "She's amazing. She really is. I'm accident prone, like you said earlier... But she puts up with me. Better than anyone else. She never gives up on me."

"Tell me more about her." Toni said, tapping her hand on the spot next to her.

Nathan sat down, smiling slightly. "Well, she's extremely talented at all things music. She's a great mom, very natural at it. When she gets nervous she starts talking a lot. She corrects me when I use bad grammar or spell things wrong when I'm texting her, and reads over my shoulder while I'm reading sometimes. It's okay for her to do it to me, but if I do it to her it makes her mad." He laughed, looking down at the grass. "You know, she's super patient most of the time. An all around super hero. She's not afraid to be herself, and she never has been. She's the biggest dork I know, and I'm hopelessly in love with her. I know that sounds cheesy, but fifteen years with a cheese ball like her has turned me into one as well."

"That's amazing, Nathan. I'm glad that your life is turning out. Your kids are beautiful, your family is beautiful." Toni smiled at him, wrapping her arm around his shoulders.

"Yeah, well yours is too." Nathan laughed, standing up and shrugging. "Maybe not as good looking as my family, but still not bad." He teased her, shrugging.

"I can't believe you had a baby when you were eighteen. You have a teenager." Daytona laughed, smirking at him. "My oldest is eight. I'm still young."

"We're the same age." Nathan pointed out, scowling.

"Yeah, but you have a teenager which makes you old." She laughed, standing up and poking his side. "Oh, and my husband is taller than you."

"You suck." He groaned, rolling his eyes. "How do they like having a professional racer for a mom?"

"They think it's awesome most of the time. They have their moments where they hate it though. I don't have much fashion sense, but my husband is color blind so when I'm gone, and he helps them get ready and my daughter has a cow." Toni laughed, shaking her head.

"I want to meet them sometime. You'll meet my family at the party tomorrow, but I want to meet your family too." He said, shooting the ball into the hoop.

"Yeah, that'd be cool." She responded, tucking her hair behind her ear. "It sucks that you had to give up basketball. But honestly, I liked the guy you were before you got super competitive and into it because Dan forced you to."

"Haley helped me become nice again." Nathan laughed, shaking his head. "So the whole world owes her for that one, because I'd be a huge pain in the ass to everyone without her."

Toni nodded, smiling at him. "So, you kind of have a TV show based on your life, right?"

"Based off Lucas' book. Which is more about his life." Nathan said, shaking his head and looking up at the hoop.

"I read the book. I haven't watched the show, though." Toni hummed, taking the basketball from him.

"I haven't watched much of it either. It's weird." Nathan laughed, looking up when Lucas' car pulled up.

"Hey!" Lucas said, smiling and climbing out of his car, walking over to Toni and hugging her. "It's really good to see you."

"You too. Sweet car." Toni said, taking a second to admire Lucas' car.

"Thank you." Lucas laughed, nodding at her. "I can't stay long, my mom is flying in for Deb's birthday and I have to go pick her up. Sorry I couldn't come earlier, my daughter wasn't feeling well and I had to stay there until Peyton got home."

"No worries. We've just been talking." Nathan said, shrugging and passing him the basketball.

"Yeah, and I'm still better at driving that Nathan is. He's weak on the turns in Haley's car." Toni laughed, smiling at him.

"Hey, I just know how much the tires cost so I want to take care of them. You didn't seem to care much." Nathan rolled his eyes, shrugging.

"I know how to drive so that it doesn't ruin the tires as quickly, Nate." Toni reminded him.

"I wish I could've been there. We should race or something." Lucas said, shooting the ball into the hoop.

"Maybe tomorrow, it's getting kind of dark." Toni said, retrieving the basketball, and passing it back to Lucas. "How've you been, Luke?"

"Pretty good. We just moved back to Tree Hill, which is great. I'm also working on my next book." Lucas informed her, smiling.

"You two are big shots." She hummed, "I mean, really. How can the world handle the Scott Brothers?"

"They don't handle it well." Nathan laughed, smirking slightly.

"Usually people stare when we're with each other because they can't handle how hot we are. Well, how hot I am compared to Nathan." Lucas joked, passing his brother the ball.

Toni laughed, shaking her head. "I believe you." She said, sitting back down on the bleachers.

"I think you guys mean it's the other way around." Nathan said simply, running up and dunking the ball. "This old man can't do that anymore."

"I have a heart problem." Lucas defended himself. "And I can still do that."

"I have a back problem." Nathan retaliated, smirking.

"Were you two always such complainers? I wish I could dunk a ball." Toni said, rolling her eyes.

"And I wish I was a professional race car driver. So why don't you be me for a day, and I'll be you?" Lucas suggested, laughing.

"Sounds like a fair trade. I'm in." She responded, shaking her head.

"What about me?" Nathan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No one wants to be you, Nate." Lucas pointed out.

"You guys are mean." Nathan grumbled, "I've been friends with both of you longer than you've been friends with each other, but you team up on me. Now I know how Haley must feel." He chuckled, rolling his eyes.

Lucas shook his head, laughing. "Just shoot the ball."

Nathan walked into their home later that night after stopping at Brooke's house. The house was completely dark and silent, save the light illuminating behind the closed door of Haley's music room, and the gentle noise of a piano.

He smiled slightly, heading into the room quickly. "Uh oh, upset Haley James is sitting at a piano. When's the next hit coming out?"

Haley looked up at him, sighing and shaking her head. "Look, Nate... I'm really not in the mood to talk, so unless you brought me something unhealthy then I don't want to hear it."

He grinned at her, handing her a candy bar. "How did I know you were going to say that?"

She sighed softly, taking it from him and setting it on the piano, shaking her head and beginning to play again.

He forced his way onto the piano bench, making her scoot over and sitting down next to her, watching her hands in awe as she played.

"You're amazing." Nathan told her once he finished, resting his elbow on the keys and leaning his chin on his hand.

Haley gave him a slightly annoyed look at the awful noise that emitted from the piano, rolling her eyes slightly. "What do you want, Nathan?"

"I heard a rumor about the reason you're mad at me- well, I actually talked your best friend into telling me." He chuckled, looking at her and raising his eyebrows.

"You're a jerk, you know that? I'm pregnant, Nathan. I get that I'm getting fat, and you see me eat things that probably aren't sexy to eat at all, but dammit..." She trailed off, shaking her head and letting out a frustrated sigh, turning her focus back to the piano.

He smiled at her, laughing quietly. "Hales, come on." He laughed, kissing the side of her head.

"Why are you laughing, Nathan?" She asked him, pushing his elbow off the piano.

"Because you must have blocked some detail out of your brain in that story or something." Nathan shrugged, shaking his head. "What happened at the beach, Haley?"

"You were staring at some girl, Nathan! Drooling over her." Haley said, glaring at him.

"Haley." He laughed harder, shaking his head.

"Stop laughing, Nathan! It's pissing me off even more." She grumbled, "Just get out. I'm sure your tired after spending all day long with your dream girl."

Nathan stopped laughing, looking at her and kissing her cheek. "I tried to spend all day with her, but she was too mad at me to listen to anything I had to say to her."

"Whatever, Nathan. I'm sorry I'm not sexy to you anymore and I'm sorry I won't have sex with you in the back of a race car or anything. I'm sorry I don't run around wearing string bikinis at the beach. I'm sorry it's taken you fifteen years to realize that you don't want me as much as you want someone else." She grumbled, looking down at the piano.

"Haley, come on." Nathan said, shaking his head quickly. "That's not true at all. What happened at the beach, baby? We'll start there."

"I just told you!" She scowled at him, shaking her head.

"Okay, you keep thinking on that one and we'll move on. To start, you can barely tell that you're pregnant at all. So you aren't fat, or getting fat, or anything. You're amazing, Hales. Come on." He said, shaking his head. "You're a superhero, both literally and figuratively. And super, super sexy. It's ones of your super powers."

"You're just saying that because you have to." Haley pointed out, tapping her fingers on the ivory keys.

"I don't have to do anything. I'm Nathan Scott." He responded, laughing quietly.

"What is the deal with you and this Toni girl?" She asked him, shaking her head and letting out a deep sigh.

"You're kidding me, right?" Nathan raised his eyebrows, letting out another loud laugh.

"Dude! You need to stop laughing at me." She said, shoving him softly.

"Sorry, sorry. I just don't understand the question." He said, shrugging.  
"Oh, I forgot. You're a C student." She grumbled, letting out a deep breath. "Just leave me be, Nathan."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just don't see how you don't see how much I love you, Hales." He said simply, kissing her cheek and wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"Maybe it's because you go off with hot girls that you've known longer than me, or because you gawk at girls wearing practically nothing." She informed him, pushing his arm off and looking at the piano, letting out a deep breath.

"Haley, for someone who is really smart, you sure aren't using your brain- I wish I could rephrase that." He said, looking at his wife. "Think back to the beach. It wasn't that long ago."

"I don't know what you want me to say, Nathan! You talked and smiled at her." She grumbled, flicking his ear.

"Baby." Nathan laughed loudly, shaking his head and rubbing his ear. "Her volleyball landed next to us."

A sudden realization passed over Haley's face and she closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath and covering her face. "Oh."

"You remember now, hm?" He smirked slightly, grabbing the candy bar at the piano. "I'm taking this back because you owe me an apology." He laughed, shaking his head. "All I did was give it back to her and that was that. Oh and Toni, totally married. Plus, I still like being married to you, and I don't plan on that changing. Other girls don't interest me, Haley."

She reached for it, grabbing it back from him. "I'm such a bitch."

"No you aren't." He responded, laughing quietly. "I think you're cute when you're jealous."

"I'm not..." Haley trailed off, shaking her head. "Whatever. I'm sorry."

Nathan rubbed her back, smiling at her. "Let me tell you something." He hummed, grabbing her hand. "I love you."

She closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath and resting her head on his shoulder. "I love you too."

"No, I mean it. I love you. Only you, okay? I don't get distracted by other girls. I have the best girl with the best body, and the best personality." He hummed, kissing her head.

"She only knows who I am because I made you crash a race car." She whispered, biting her lip.

"Stop it." Nathan said, shaking his head. "Stop it right now, Haley."

She looked up at him, resting her hand on his cheek. "I'm sorry I've been so cold to you today."

"I forgive you, don't worry." He responded, resting his forehead against hers. "You know, I did stop at the store and buy some mint chocolate chip ice cream on my way home."

"I love you more than you'll ever know, Nathan Scott."


	52. Chapter 52

I do not own One Tree Hill

I'm not too sure about this chapter. I've been struggling a bit lately with writing stuff, I don't know why. I wrote this chapter about a dozen times and this is what I ended with.

Chapter 52

"Hey, I thought of a name." Nathan said, looking over at his wife.

"We don't even know what we're having yet." Haley laughed, shaking her head and looking in the mirror.

"I know, I know. But I'm excited. You can't blame me." He said, holding up two shirts. "Blue or black?"

She looked over at him, humming softly. "Blue." She said, looking back into the mirror.

He nodded, looking at the two shirts in his hands, holding them up again. "Are you sure?"

She laughed, looking at him once again. "Yes, Nathan. Blue brings out your eyes. But if you want to wear black, then wear black. I don't know why you asked if you already had your mind made up."

It was quiet for a second, before he walked into the bathroom, buttoning up the blue shirt.

Haley smiled over at him, shaking her head. "You look nice, honey."

"You too." He responded, quickly kissing her cheek.

"So lay it on me." She said, putting lipstick on her lips.

"What?" Nathan asked her, raising his eyebrows. "I don't know if we have time, and the kids are home. Plus, you just got done doing your hair..."

"Not that, you dork." She laughed, rolling her eyes. "The name. Boy or girl?"

"Girl." He hummed, tapping his fingers on the counter.

"I'm surprised you're coming up with girl names since you're so positive that this baby is going to be a boy." She said, smiling at him. "So?"

"Stacy." He said, smirking slightly.

"Stacy?" She repeated back to him.

"You know, because Stacy's mom has got it going on." Nathan said, laughing loudly.

Haley looked at him, punching his arm softly. "I should have seen that coming." She laughed, shaking her head. "We aren't naming our daughter Stacy now, just for that reason. And don't start singing that song."

"Come on. You can sing it with me." He said, grabbing her hand and turning her towards him.

"It's unusual for you to be this willing to sing." She said, looking up at him.

"Well, Stacy's mom does have it going on." He responded, winking at her.

"That's not going to be her name." Haley said, patting his cheek and turning away from him.

"We could send the kids to my mom's birthday party while we stay home." He said, resting his hand on her back.

"You're funny." She said, shaking her head.

"We could be late." He hummed, pushing her hair to the side, leaning over and kissing her neck softly.

Haley closed her eyes, tilting her head and sucking in a deep breath, resting her hands on the countertop.

Nathan smirked slightly, having a small victory party in his head, pulling her closer to him.

"Jamie! You're stupid!" Lydia yelled loudly from outside their room, knocking on the bedroom door.

"I got it." Nathan sighed, winking at her. "I'll catch you downstairs." He hummed, kissing her forehead and walking out of the room. "Lydia Bob Scott! We do not call people that word in this house." He said, stepping out of their bedroom and crossing his arms.

"He won't let me play with Max! He keeps him in his room." Lydia said, stomping her foot and scowling up at Nathan.

"Dad, she's pushing him around!" Jamie yelled from his room, shaking his head.

"Regardless of what is going on, we only say kind things to each other." Nathan responded, "I'll drop you both off at Aunt Brooke's tonight if you can't behave yourselves. And I will make sure that you both go to bed at seven o'clock, and no ice cream. Is that what you want?"

"I want Jamie to stop being a butthead!" Lydia shouted, glaring at Jamie's bedroom door.

"I want her to stop being a tattletale." Jamie said, poking his head out.

"I want both of you to be nice to each other. Only one of us is going to get what they want, and I have a strong suspicion that it's going to be me." Nathan said, shaking his head and kneeling in front of Lydia.

"Why are you the one that always gets what they want?" Lydia frowned, shaking her head.

"Because I am the grown up." Nathan said, smiling at her and tapping her nose. "You two get along, or you'll be cleaning all day tomorrow while me and Mom do something fun."

"Mom and I." Haley corrected him as she stepped out, rubbing Nathan's shoulder.

"Whatever. My point is, get along or there will be consequences. Especially at the party tonight. You better be nice to each other, or not talk to each other at all." Nathan said, nodding up at Haley and standing up.

"Tell Jamie to let the puppy out." Lydia said, tugging on Nathan's hand.

"Jamie, let Max out. Lydia, be nice to Max and Jamie won't have hide him from you. Problem solved." Nathan said, nodding at Lydia, then Jamie. "Easy as that."

"I'm not mean to Max. He likes me best." Lydia pointed out, crossing her arms.

"Actually, he likes me best. So it really doesn't matter. Just everyone be nice to him. He's my dog." Nathan laughed, wrapping his arm around Haley's shoulders.

Haley smiled slightly, pinching Lydia's chin. "Alright, everyone down in the car in five minutes, and be happy because to Grandma Deb's birthday. So put on your biggest smiles."

Nathan stood next to Lucas, watching his wife as she talked Deb, Megan, Karen, and Peyton. He looked over at his brother when a hand was waved in his face, raising his eyebrows.

"Dude, you totally weren't listening." Lucas laughed, following his eye line. "Oh come on. You've spent fifteen years with her and you still can't hear a word I say when she's in the room."

"Sorry, man. She's hot." Nathan said, smirking slightly and catching Haley's gaze, nodding at her.

Lucas shook his head, taking a drink from the bottle in his hand, rolling his eyes.

"I mean, damn. My wife is good looking." Nathan said, looking at his brother and shrugging.

"Okay, that's enough." Lucas said, sighing softly.

"She's hot as hell." Nathan smirked slightly, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt.

"Knock it off, Nathan." Lucas laughed, "I know you're just trying to make me uncomfortable and it's not going to work."

"That dress fits her perfect." Nathan said, winking at Haley. "If you want, you can talk about Peyton. But I guarantee I won't be paying attention because I'll be too busy checking out Haley."

"It's not working, Nathan." Lucas said, waving at Haley.

"You can't see them, but there's probably half a dozen hickeys under that dress." Nathan said, letting out a deep breath.

"Okay, shut up." Lucas grumbled, smacking Nathan on the back of his head, taking the drink from his little brother's hand and walking away.

Nathan laughed, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "That was mine." He said, smiling.

"Now I have two, bitch!" Lucas yelled over his shoulder, laughed and holding them both up and sitting down next to Nicole.

Nathan sighed softly, shaking his head. "Damn." He laughed, crossing his arms. He looked over when Toni appeared, holding a bottle out to him.

"Brothers can be such pains, right?" She laughed, nodding over at Lucas.

"I don't think your brother is a pain." Nathan pointed out, taking the beer from her.

"Yeah, well he can be." Toni said, smiling at him. "Your mom looks happy."

"You think?" Nathan asked, looking at his mom.

"Yeah, I do." She responded, nodding at him.

"I hope she is, because after suffering years with Dan, she deserves to be happy." He said, sighing softly.

"William seems nice. I haven't really talked to him much." Toni said, nudging him.

"Yeah, he's... You know... He's alright, I guess." Nathan said, shaking his head.

"Don't drag her down, Nathan." She said, looking up at him.

"What do you mean?" He asked, looking over at her.

"If she's happy, then why can't she just be happy? Why fight with the guy?" She questioned him.

"I don't need some girl who shows up once every thousand years telling me what I'm doing wrong." He said, taking a long drink of his drink.

"Sorry." She said, shaking her head and sighing. "I just think you should take it easy on him."

Nathan looked at his mom again, letting out a deep breath. "Where's Cooper?"

"I think he's in the kitchen with your step dad actually." Toni informed him.

"Maybe Cooper will see what I see." He grumbled, kicking at the ground.

"I'm just curious as to what you actually see, Nate. Because he seems like a nice guy to me." She pointed out, rubbing his back.

"You see it, or you don't. I'm done with this conversation either way. Besides, it's not like you've ever been around them before this weekend. I'll talk to you later, Daytona." Nathan grumbled, walking away from her.

Haley watched as her husband pretty much stormed away from his childhood friend, raising her eyebrows. She looked over when Karen started talking to her again, smiling.

"So you two. How are your pregnancies going?" Karen asked, nodding at her and Megan.

"Oh, you know... I have a boyfriend who is uneasy about the idea and a dad who is uneasy about the idea." Megan said, sighing softly. "Sorry, sorry."

Karen sent her a sympathetic smile, "I've been there." She said, nodding at her. "When do you find out what you're having?"

"I think I'm going to wait until the baby is born to find out." Megan said, nodding. "Let's stop talking about me though. Haley?"

Haley looked at her, "All is going well. A lot of mood swings. Midnight cravings, the usual." She laughed, waving her hand.

"When I was pregnant with Lucas all I wanted to eat was corn flakes. I know, that sounds crazy. But that's all I wanted." Karen laughed, nodding at her. "Have you felt the baby start kicking?" She asked Megan.

"Oh yeah, sort of. It's a crazy feeling." Megan said, smiling brightly. "It's amazing."

"It definitely is." Deb said, nodding at her. "But then it starts to wake you up in the middle of the night."

"I already wake up in the middle of the night, so it's okay." Megan laughed, nodding at her.

"I wish my son and his wife would have another one." Karen said, sending a pointed look to Peyton.

Peyton raised her hands in defense, laughing. "Talk to Luke." She said, shaking her head.

"Trust me. I will." Karen said, nodding at her.

"I think I may be a little too old to be having babies." Peyton joked, looking over at Haley.

"Oh lord." Haley said, rolling her eyes.

"No way are you too old. I was older than you when I had Lily. I want at least two more grandchildren, so figure it out." Karen said, nodding at her. "You're still young."

"Two more, got it." Peyton laughed, nodding at her.

"While we're requesting amounts, I want at least three more from you. Not including this one." Deb said, nodding at Haley. "It's my birthday, don't argue with me."

Haley raised her eyebrows, "I guess we'll talk about this at a later time then. You should've started requesting amounts when I was twenty-two, not the age I am."

"Thirty-one?" Megan said, smirking at her.

"Stop." Haley said, shaking her head.

William walked out of the kitchen a few minutes later, standing next to Deb. "We're going to bring the cake out soon." He said, smiling at her.

Deb nodded at him, "How was talking with Cooper?"

"Good." William said, nodding slowly.

"I think I'm going to go find Nathan." Haley said, smiling at them. "I'll be back."

She walked over to where Lucas, Nicole, and Toni were sitting. "Hey. Do you know where Nathan is?"

"Uh... No?" Lucas said, looking away.

"Luke, you're a bad liar." Haley said, ruffling his hair.

"He's in one of the bedrooms watching basketball and updating Lucas on the scores." Toni informed her, nodding.

Haley looked at Lucas, sticking out her tongue. "Ha." She laughed, nodding at Toni. "Thanks." She hummed, walking away.

After a few minutes of searching, she finally found him in Megan's room, sitting in a chair, his eyes stuck on the TV.

"Hey, you." Haley hummed, looking at him. "What's the score?"

"You're totally the coolest wife out there." Nathan said, smiling at her and turning his gaze back to the TV. He reached out, grabbing her hand and pulling her down onto his lap.

"Why'd you leave the party?" She asked, playing with his ear softly.

"I didn't leave, I just found something better to do." He informed her, laughing.

"What happened?" She asked, looking over at the TV.

"Nothing, really." Nathan said, sighing softly. "I'd just rather be watching basketball. Preferably at home, but I can make do."

Haley chuckled quietly, kissing his head softly. "Am I going to lose my status as cool wife if I suggest you go back out there?"

He rested his hand on her stomach, shaking his head. "We'll see. Is that a risk you're willing to take?"

"I've been lame my whole life. It doesn't really matter to me now." She hummed, winking at him. "So I suggest you get back out there, buddy. For your mom. It's her birthday."

"Fine. Just sit her with me for a minute." Nathan sighed, looking at the TV.

She smiled slightly, resting her head on his shoulder, smoothing her hand over his shirt.

"You're still cool." He grumbled, looking down at her and smiling.

"Thank you." Haley said, brushing her fingers over the scruff on his chin. After a minute of sitting there, she stood up. "Come on."

"Fine." He sighed, shutting off the TV and standing up. "But that was a good game, so if I miss something good then I might start crying."

"It's okay, baby. I'll take care of you if that happens." She laughed, grabbing onto his hand.

"Thank you." He hummed, squeezing her hand softly. "I love you."

"I love you too." Haley responded, kissing his cheek and pulling him out of the room.

A short while later, everyone sat on the couch, Lydia sitting between the two of them. Toni was sitting next to Nathan with Jamie on her other side, listening to the story she was telling him intently.

"Oh, look. There's one more present." William said, gesturing towards the ground. "We must have missed that one." He picked it up, handing it to Deb.

"Oh, it's from Nathan." Deb said, smiling.

Nathan looked up from his cake quickly, raising his eyebrows. "What?" He asked, looking over at Haley.

"You didn't have to get me anything, Nathan. You guys already got me something." Deb said, nodding at her son.

"I know, Mom... I got it because... You're so, uh... Special to me?" He attempted, looking over at Haley again and shrugging.

"You're going to love it, Deb. Nathan has good taste in everything." Haley said, reaching over and taking Nathan's plate from him and handing it to Lucas. "Here you go, buddy."

Lucas blinked, "Why?" He asked, shaking his head.

"Because you're my best friend and I love you." Haley hummed, smacking his leg softly. "Well, open it Deb."

Deb opened it slowly, looking down at the velvet box, raising her eyebrows. She opened it, smiling over at her son. "Nathan, these are beautiful." She said, nodding at him and standing up. "They're too much."

"Oh no, mom. Nothing is too expensive for you." Nathan said, raising his eyebrows.

"Let me see." Megan said, standing up and looking at them. "Oh, Nathan. How nice." She said, smirking at him. "This is a beautiful present. How did you ever figure out what to buy her?"

"I just, looked at her and I thought... This is what I should get her." He said, looking at Haley.

"Let me see them again." Haley said, standing up and looking down at the box. "Nathan has always had such good taste in earrings." She said, looking over at him and nodding.

"Well the women in my life deserve the best." Nathan claimed, standing up and walking over to his mother. "Happy Birthday, Mom. You don't look a day older than twenty-six." He said, smiling at her.

"Thanks, honey." Deb laughed, hugging him tightly. "You're a good son."

"I do what I can." Nathan said, hugging her back and letting out a deep breath.

"I want to see!" Lydia said, jumping up to her feet. "Can I please see them Grandma Deb?"

"Well, of course." Deb smiled at her, handing them to Lydia. "Aren't they pretty?"

"They're so pretty! I want to get my ears pierced." Lydia said, looking up at Haley.

Haley smiled slightly, looking over at Nathan's panicked face. "Your father and I will discuss it, okay?" She hummed, tapping her daughters nose.

"That usually means no." Jamie informed her, shrugging.

"When it comes to you, Jamie." Lydia said, sticking out her tongue. "Daddy gives me whatever I want."

"Okay, kids. We'll talk about it, Lydia." Haley laughed, shaking her head.

"Nice gift, Nathan." William said, nodding at him. "She'll probably love it more than what I got her."

"I owe her for all of the birthdays I didn't give her anything." Nathan said, nodding at him.

Deb smacked his arm, shaking her head. "Stop it, Nathan. You don't owe me anything. And I love all my gifts. Thank you to everyone."

"Well you only turn twenty-nine once. Or two, or three times." Cooper laughed, hugging his sister.

"If only I looked and felt like I was twenty-nine." Deb said, shaking her head.

"You look great, Deb." Karen said, smiling at her. "I'm so glad I could come celebrate with you. It's too bad Andy and Lily couldn't make it. We'll have to come visit again soon."

"You should." Lucas agreed, nodding. "We miss having you here, don't we Sawyer?" He said, smiling over at his daughter.

Sawyer looked up at him and nodded her head, "For sure." She agreed, smiling brightly.

"I like it when you're here too, Aunt Karen!" Lydia hummed, nodding up at her.

"I love being around both of you, so I will have to come visit more. Maybe the next time I come my son's wife will be pregnant with another baby." Karen said, nodding over at Lucas and Peyton.

"Yeah, yeah." Lucas laughed, waving his hand. "Save it for later, Grandma Karen. Don't start spreading rumors about us."

Nathan smirked slightly, nodding over at Lucas. "Come on, big brother. Get with it. Everyone is having babies, might as well jump on the bandwagon." He said, slinging his arm around both Haley and Megan's shoulders.

"Maybe I'll have triplets, then you'll have to have another kid since for some reason you can't stand the thought of me having an equal amount or more kids than you." Lucas said, shaking his head.

"Woah there buddy. No triplets for us." Peyton said, shaking her head.

"I can't even believe these women will have children with you two based on the way you argue." Nicole pointed out, shaking her head.

"She has a solid point." Toni agreed, smirking up at Nathan.

"I just can't believe they'll have children with you in general." Cooper said, nodding. "I mean, both of these ladies are way better looking than you two are."

"Right back at you, Cooper." Lucas shot back, nodding at Nathan.

"Yeah, Cooper. I've been told I have your eyes, so maybe I wouldn't go talking trash on me." Nathan smirked, nodding at Lucas, fist bumping him.

"Oh how attractive you are when you bring up situations like that." Haley said sarcastically, shaking her head and laughing.

"I don't think I even want to know." Deb said, shaking her head. "But I think that Nathan is cute."

"Thanks, mom." Nathan said, nodding at his mother.

"Yeah, Nathan is so cute." Lucas laughed, shaking his head.

Karen looked at him, nodding. "I wouldn't be laughing, Lucas Eugene. I think you're adorable."

"Ha!" Nathan responded, sitting back down next to Toni. "You're adorable, Lucas. You'd be cuter if you looked like your younger brother, though."

"You wish."

About an hour later, Haley, Jamie, and Lydia were all waiting in the car while Nathan said goodbye to his mother.

"Bye Mom. I hope that you had a happy birthday." He said, hugging her tightly.

"I did. Thank you, Nate. For everything. And thank you for being civil with everyone tonight." Deb said, rubbing his arm.

"Of course." He said, nodding down at her. "I like seeing you happy. It still makes me happy after all these years."

"I like seeing you happy too, honey. I had an amazing birthday." Deb said, smiling at him.

"I'm glad. I better go say goodbye to Toni. I don't know when I'll see her next. I'll talk to you tomorrow, I'm sure." He said, hugging her once more, before walking over to his friend.

"Hey." Nathan said, smiling down at her. "It was great to see you."

"You too, buddy. I'm glad that you're happy and well." Toni said, nodding up at him.

"Me too. Don't be a stranger, okay? I mean it. You have my number, I have yours. I want to come watch you race in person. Jamie seems super interested too. And next time, I expect Jarrett to be there too." He said, shrugging slightly.

"Okay, okay. I understand. I'll talk to you soon, I promise. Stay out of trouble, alright? No more getting kidnapped, or breaking your back."

"It's been awhile since any of that has happened, but I'll be careful." He laughed, smiling at her.

"Good. It was great seeing you, Nathan." Toni hummed to him.

"You too." Nathan said, pulling open the front door. He turned and looked at her, rushing over and pulling her into a big hug. "How about I pick you up tomorrow and take you to the airport?"

"My flight is early. Like 6:30, which means I need to be there at about 4:30 or 5." She informed him, shrugging.

"It's okay. I'll be here to pick you up. See you then, Toni." He said, smiling at her.

"I'll see you then. But you better show up." She laughed, shaking her head.

"I will, I will." Nathan laughed, waving at his mom. "Bye Mom! Happy Birthday." He said, walking out to the car.

"How'd your game go?" Haley asked, walking out of the bathroom, rubbing lotion on her hands.

"Hm?" Nathan questioned, looking up at her and raising his eyebrows.

"Your game. Do you need a shoulder to cry on?" She laughed, smiling at him.

"Well... If you're offering." He said, tossing his phone to the side, standing up and pressing his face into her shoulder, fake crying.

She laughed, rolling her eyes and kissing his head, grabbing his arm and rubbing her hands over his.

"What is that?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"It's lotion. I got too much." Haley said, winking up at him.

Nathan smelled it hand, shaking his head. "Dammit, Hales. Now I smell like Winter Sunset."

She laughed, rubbing her hand over his neck. "Actually, it's called Hawaiian Breeze." She informed him.

"Okay, it actually doesn't smell that bad. I prefer it on you, of course. But this works too." He laughed, kissing her briefly. "Good call on the earrings, by the way. I think my mom liked them. Why'd you do it?"

"Because I knew that she would like it if you got her a present besides the one from our family." She said, nodding up at him. "Now, about Lydia getting her ears pierced..."

"Nope, no. I don't want to hear it. My little girl is not getting her ears pierced." He protested, sitting back on the bed and smelling his hands.

"Come on, why not? I think she's old enough." Haley pointed out, sitting next to him.

"I disagree. Once she gets her ears pierced, she's practically a woman. I don't want her to grow up. Then she'll be getting a tattoo that is well known by a certain name on her lower back, and tutoring assholes and falling in love with them. Does it look like I want that? Hell no." Nathan smirked at her, shaking his head.

"You think you're funny, but you really aren't. Tattoos well known by a certain name on her lower back, huh?" Haley said, poking his arm.

"I'm not going to say what it's called because I know someone that has one, and I respect her too much to call it that." He responded, kissing her head. "I'm talking about Taylor, of course."

"Whatever. I think she should be allowed to get her ears pierced." She argued, rubbing his back.

"Taylor? I think hers are already pierced..." He smirked, shrugging.

"No, Nathan. If she wants them I say we let her get them. It's not a big deal." Haley said, moving to the other side of the bed and laying down.

"It is a big deal. I don't want her to grow up, and I don't want her ears to be hurt." Nathan frowned at his wife, looking down at her.

"It only hurts for a second. Come on, baby. She'll grow up regardless." She said, tugging on his t-shirt.

"Really?" He frowned, laying down and letting her cuddle into him.

"Unfortunately our babies won't always be babies forever." She said, looking up at him.

"Fine, she can get them pierced."


	53. Chapter 53

**I do not own One Tree Hill**

 **Okay, this was just something sort of fun for me to write to try and getting my flow back. I also may be starting a new story soon. I haven't decided if I'm going to post it yet. I may be a little in over my head, but I thought of a story that kind of interests me so we'll see!**

 **Chapter 53**

"Nathan! Look at this one." Haley said, holding out a picture to him and smiling brightly. "Look at how young we look." She said, letting out a deep breath.

"Haley, it's four in the morning." Nathan grumbled, rubbing his hand down his face and sitting up slowly. "Why are you still up?"

"I couldn't sleep. Look at this picture of us." She said, kissing his cheek. "It's from when we were dating."

"You mean it's from the whole week we were dating?" He asked her, looking down at the picture and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Cool."

She raised her eyebrows, shaking her head. "Cool?" She laughed.

"Yep." He said, pulling her glasses off her face. "Come to bed."

Haley took them from his hand, putting them back on her face. "I'm not tired. Look at this picture again, Nathan."

He sighed softly, rubbing his eyes and nodding. "What would you like me to say about it?"

"Say it's cute, because it is."

"It's cute."

She sighed, flattening his hair down onto his forehead. "Maybe you should come look at these pictures with me." She suggested, nudging him softly.

Nathan leaned back against the headboard, shaking his head. "Maybe you should go to bed." He responded, closing his eyes. "You're crazy. I need my beauty sleep otherwise I'll start looking like an old man."

"You weren't complaining about sleep the other night." She pointed out, laughing quietly.

"That's because we were having sex. You'll never hear me complain when I'm getting some." He grumbled, yawning.

"Come on, baby... If you stay up with me now then I'll take the kids to school tomorrow and we can come back home and go back to bed." She said, tugging on his shirt softly. "I can't sleep."

"I must have three children now because I distinctly remember Lydia coming into our room and telling us that a few hours ago." He said, sighing softly.

Haley laughed, wrapping her arm around his shoulders, rubbing his chest softly. "Look how little we used to be, Nathan. We had fun when we were dating."

"I turned you into a badass that skipped school." He responded, blinking his eyes open and looking down at the picture of them, smiling slightly.

"I didn't skip school that often." She laughed, shaking her head.

"We did have fun though." Nathan said, looking over at her and smiling. "Alright, fine. Let's look at some more pictures."

"I knew you'd cave. You can't resist my charm." She hummed, winking at him and standing up slowly, picking up the box off the ground and setting it on the bed.

"I hope you weren't lifting this stud all by yourself." He said, raising his eyebrows.

"It's not heavy, don't worry." She laughed, sitting down next to him.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, kissing her head softly. "You better not fall asleep, Hales. I'm awake now."

"Trust me, honey. I'm awake. I literally slept for an hour and now I can't go back to sleep. So I'm up." She laughed, sliding the box closer to them.

Nathan picked up a picture out of the box, smiling slightly. "Check this out." He said, holding it out to her.

"This was when Cheryl Crow came into the cafe!" Haley said, smiling at him. "Look at how young I was."

"You keep saying that, Hales... But you look the same. You hair is the only thing that changes." He laughed, kissing her head softly.

"That was so crazy." She said, smiling down at the picture. "I still can't believe that happened to us."

"What will it take for you to sing me some of the new songs you've been recording?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Mm... Diamonds." She laughed, winking at him.

"First you wake me up at four in the morning to look at a picture that will look the exact same, and now you only want me for my money. What's next?" Nathan laughed, smiling at her.

"You'll just have to wait and see." She hummed, biting his earlobe softly. Haley turned her attention back to the box, picking up another picture. "I love this one. Look at how you're looking at me."

"Look at how you're looking at me." He said, tapping the picture.

"We should recreate these pictures." She said, looking up at him.

"I think we should recreate this one." He said, smirking at picking up a picture.

She raised her eyebrows, looking at the picture and yanking it out of his hand. "Don't." She said, shaking her head quickly.

"Come on." He said, smirking at her.

"No. I don't know how that picture ended up in this box." She said, shaking her head again.

"Let's recreate it." He hummed, pulling his shirt over his head.

"Put your shirt back on." She grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"In order for this to work, you have to take your shirt off too." He said, tugging on her sleeve.

"I'm not going to take my shirt off." Haley said, pushing his hand away.

"I thought you wanted to recreate our pictures?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I'm not recreating this one. I forgot this one even existed. And now that I look back at it when I'm thirty, I wish that we'd never taken it. I really don't know how it ended up in this box." She said, sighing softly.

Nathan smirked at her, taking it back and looking down at it. "How long do you think we'd been married in this picture?"

"A few weeks." She said, running her fingers through her hair. "Give it back to me. I'm going to burn it."

"No way!" He protested, standing to his feet quickly.

"Nathan, we have children." Haley said, shaking her head. "They look through our things."

"This picture is hot, Hales. There's no way I'm going to let you burn it." He said, looking down at it again, smirking.

"When we die, our children are going to look through our things and have this to remember us by." She pointed out, crossing her arms.

"No, no. I'm taking this to the grave with me." He informed her.

"Nathan, just give it to me."

"I won't."

"Come on, please." She begged him, sighing softly, getting out of bed.

"If you want it, you have to grab it." He responded, raising his hand in the air.

Haley looked at him, scowling slightly. "Nathan Royal Scott, give me that picture right now."

"That doesn't work on me, Haley." He laughed, winking at her. "Look how hot we are."

"We have children!" She scowled, poking his chest.

"I know, Haley. That's why we're recreating this in the middle of the night so they won't wake up. Now, start stripping." Nathan said, smirking at her.

"Give me the picture and maybe I will." She said, sighing softly.

He looked up at the picture in his hand, before looking down at Haley. "Nah." He laughed, shrugging. "I know you won't. You'll just start a fire and throw it in there. I completely forgot about this picture, and it won't happen again. Let me keep it."

"I swear, if anyone sees that... That's all you'll have for the rest of your life." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, baby... It's funny how you think you could live without sex for more than a week. The last fifteen years you've been getting it regularly." He smirked at her, shaking his head.

"You used to be gone for most of the year, Nathan. I could do it." She said simply, shrugging. "And you go out of town a lot."

"That's because I wasn't home. But when I am home, you can't resist me." He pointed out, smirking. "Especially when you're pregnant. This body gets you going." He said, gesturing down at his torso.

"You're so full of it. I know that I could last a week, probably even longer. I just know how much you need it." She scowled at him.

"How much I need it? Yeah, okay. I love having sex with you, Haley. But I know how you get when you don't get some." He smirked, shaking his head.

"Oh yeah? Well if you cave, I get that picture. And if I cave, you can keep it. Just as long as no one sees it but you." She said, shrugging.

"Deal- wait, what?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. "Wait a second, wait a second. What just happened?"

"Are you caving already?" Haley asked, smirking slightly.

Nathan looked up at the picture in his hand once more, before looking down at Haley. "No. I think you'll give in first. And, if I win, we recreate the picture too."

"Deal. But just know, that I'm sticking to this. That picture is as good as gone." She said simply, sitting back down on the bed.

Nathan shrugged, sitting down next to her, sliding the picture into his pocket. "Whatever, Hales." He hummed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I guess we should keep looking at pictures, unless you already want to cave because my muscles are turning you on?"

She shook her head, rolling her eyes and tugging the box closer to them. "I think I'm good." She said, picking up another picture. "Look at this one of Lucas and me. Aw, he's so cute." She said, smiling at it.

"You're wearing that ugly poncho." He laughed, shaking his head.

"I think you secretly liked that poncho. You always talked about it." Haley informed him, rolling her eyes.

"Did you listen to what I said when I talked about it?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No, I rarely listen to you, Nathan." She said sarcastically, smiling at the picture again. "I think that one was taken before he even joined the Ravens."

"Glad you finally found the better Scott brother to spend your time with?" He asked, smiling at her.

"You both have your days." She teased him, resting her head on his shoulder. "There's probably some of us when we were younger in here too. I think Karen put a lot of that stuff in storage, though."

"Hey, check it out." Nathan said, picking up a picture and holding it up. "Jamie." He said, smiling at the baby picture.

"My baby is so old now." Haley sighed, looking at the picture and smiling. "He was probably only two months old in this picture. Where has the time gone?"

"I know, right? At least we're having another one." He said, nodding at her.

"Maybe we should just have another baby as soon as our kids turn two. Big families are crazy, I know, but I love having little tiny babies." She said, looking up at him.

"In order for that to happen, you'll have to break the no sex pact. Because I won't do it." He said, laughing and smirking at her.

"Oh, baby. I know that you'll give in first. Sorry, that's just the way it is." Haley hummed, patting his cheek and looking in the box again.


	54. Chapter 54

**I don't own One Tree Hill.**

 **Sorry that it's been taking me awhile to update things! I've been pretty busy. I actually thought writing this chapter was pretty fun!**

 **I just want to start by saying that I don't speak French at all but I just think James Lafferty speaking French would be super hot and google translate is all I've got and I'm not entirely sure how accurate it is.**

 **Chapter 54**

Nathan rushed down the stairs, and into the kitchen, looking at Haley and scowling slightly. "Can I talk to you?" He asked her quickly, resting his hand on her arm.

Haley looked over at him, shaking her head. "Not now. The kids need to be at school in fifteen minutes." She said, tugging her arm away from him.

"This will just take a second." He said, glancing over at Lydia, who was sitting at the bar, eating cereal.

"I don't have a second, honey. Write me a note if it's that important." She responded, beginning to pack Jamie's and Lydia's lunches.

He raised his eyebrows, letting out a deep sigh. "Haley." He grumbled, looking down at her. "Come on."

She looked over at him, leaning her head back and looking at the ceiling for a second. "Fine. But I don't have a lot of time." She grumbled, looking at Lydia. "Go put your shoes on once you're done, and leave your bowl. Dad will get it." She said, smiling at Lydia. "Jamie! We need to go soon!" She called out, shaking her head and following Nathan up the stairs.

Nathan let out a deep breath, looking at her. "I found this on my pillow when I got out of the shower." He said, holding out a receipt to her. "What is it?"

"You have eyes, read it. Is this all you wanted?" Haley asked him, raising his eyebrows.

"What does it mean, Haley?" He frowned at her.

She smiled at him, resting her hands on his shoulders. "That?" She questioned him, pulling him closer to her, pressing a kiss underneath his ear. "That's all the lingerie I bought yesterday that you'll never get to see me in if you don't give this up by tonight." She whispered, gently biting down on his earlobe. "Remember that. Ten days, Nathan Scott. I've been waiting ten days for you to forget about this stupid thing." She hummed, brushing her hands down his chest, hooking her fingers in his belt loops. "Just something to think about." She hummed, kissing his cheek softly, before turning and walking out of the room.

Nathan watched her leave, letting out a deep breath. He rubbed his neck softly, shaking his head and sitting down on the end of the bed. His wife was crazy. She'd held it together the past ten days, better than he was, or so she made out to be. They'd gone longer than this, that's for sure, but the difference was that they'd spent the last ten days trying to get the other to cave, which made things a lot more difficult. He groaned, falling back on the bed, grabbing a pillow and covering his face with it, sighing softly. "Dammit." He grumbled against the pillow, closing his eyes.

xxxx

"Okay, Haley... I've watched you clean the same spot like a hundred times... What's wrong?" Brooke laughed, shaking her head and crossing her arms.

"Nothing, I'm just keeping busy. There's no one here." Haley responded, letting out a deep breath.

Brooke leaned against the counter, looking at her and laughing quietly. "What's been going on with you, Hales? You've been in a bad mood for the past week or so."

"It's just been an off week." Haley sighed, rubbing her neck and looking over at her friend. "Don't worry about it. I'm hoping to be over this by tomorrow." She said softly, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I've been biting your head off a little bit, haven't I?"

"Maybe a little." Brooke laughed, wrapping her arm around Haley's shoulders. "But it's okay. We all have our days. Or weeks." She hummed, smiling at her. She looked over when the door opened, waving at the two brothers that just walked in.

"Busy day?" Lucas laughed, looking around.

"Everyone is at work, except apparently you two... Who never seem to be working." Brooke pointed out, shaking her head.

Nathan chuckled, rolling his eyes. "That's funny. I was about to say the same to you, since you guys never seem to be working either." He pointed out, taking a seat at a table.

"I'm having some writer's block." Lucas said, shaking his head. "Usually I work." He said, taking a seat across from Nathan.

"What else is new?" Nathan said, smirking slightly.

Lucas shoved him softly, rolling his eyes. "At least I don't suck at basketball and blame it on my bad back."

"Hey! I have a bad back." Nathan responded, shaking his head. "Hales, tell him." He said, nodding at his wife.

Haley looked at Nathan, walking over to him and resting her hand on his shoulder. "He has a bad back." She said, shrugging slightly, before sitting down between the two of them.

"I have a heart condition, but I still kicked your ass." Lucas said, smirking slightly.

"My head just wasn't in it." Nathan sighed, shaking his head.

Brooke walked over, sitting down across from Haley. "Poor baby." She laughed, winking at Nathan.

"Why aren't you at work?" Haley asked Nathan, raising her eyebrows.

Nathan froze slightly when he felt her foot trailing up his leg, clearing his throat. "Oh, Clay and Quinn are looking for baby stuff. Plus it had been awhile since I dunked on Luke... Unfortunately, I lost every game we played." He informed her, letting out a deep breath.

Haley squeezed his arm softly, shrugging. "Everyone has off days." She informed him, biting her lip.

Nathan looked at her, nodding slowly. "Yep." He said softly, letting out a deep breath.

"So... What is it that you guys are here for?" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows. "I hope you plan on buying something, because if you look around, we're kind of empty today. Hopefully it doesn't fill up because we sent our waitresses home."

"Yeah, yeah. We're here for food." Lucas said, shrugging slightly. "Not that hungry though, because Nathan didn't make me work hard at all today."

"Oh, hell... I don't care, Lucas." Nathan grumbled, rolling his eyes. "I just wasn't focused on basketball."

"I wish Peyton would've been there to watch. It's been awhile since I've beat you at every single game we played." Lucas said, smirking slightly. "Plus, she would've gotten a kick out of it when you threw a temper tantrum and tried to throw the ball as hard as you could at my head."

"Lucas." Nathan said, scowling at him and shaking his head. "I lost my cool. It happens." He grumbled, pushing Haley's foot off his leg.

Brooke cleared her throat, "Alright. What do you guys want?" She asked them, raising her eyebrows.

"I want whatever is fastest, because I have to go meet Peyton." Lucas said, nodding at her.

"Nate?" She hummed, looking over at him.

"I just want water." Nathan responded, sighing softly.

"Really? That's it?" Brooke questioned him.

"I'm sort of on a healthy kick." He said, shrugging. "This-" He gestured to his torso, before flexing his bicep. "Doesn't just happen, you know."

Haley looked at him, letting out a small sigh and standing up slowly. "I'll get started on that. You stay out here and talk." She hummed to Brooke, before walking into the back.

Brooke looked over at Nathan, "So? What's up with her?"

"Hm? She seems fine to me." Nathan responded, shrugging and looking down at the table.

Lucas looked over at him, "Now that you mention it, I went to lunch with her yesterday and she seemed awfully testy."

Nathan sighed softly, standing up. "I'll go talk to her." He said, rubbing his neck. He walked towards the back, pausing in front of the door and sucking in a deep breath. He glanced over his shoulder and Lucas and Brooke, before walking into the room.

As soon as Haley turned around to look at him, Nathan had her up on the countertop and was kissing her. She blinked in surprise, before wrapping her arms around his neck, gripping his shirt tightly.

Nathan resting his hands on her waist, brushing his thumbs over her sides and pulling her closer to him.

Haley pulled back after a minute and looked at him, "We shouldn't be doing this here." She said softly, pulling him into another kiss.

"Who cares?" Nathan hummed against her mouth, closing his eyes and wrapping his arms around her.

She smirked slightly, closing her eyes and letting herself relax into him, tugging on his shirt softly.

He began to kiss down her neck, pulling her shirt collar to the side. "I knew you couldn't resist me, baby. You practically ran out of there." He said softly, sucking on her newly exposed shoulder.

"Mhm." Haley hummed, tilting her head to the side and letting out a shaky breath.

He made sure to leave a mark in a spot that he knew her shirt would cover, before kissing back up to her mouth. "You're perfect." He whispered to her, resting his hands on her legs, kissing her deeply.

Haley smiled slightly, tangling her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer to her, her other hand resting on his chest.

"You're so, so perfect. And so good." He informed her, kissing underneath her ear, much like she had done to him this morning, smirking slightly. "But I'm better." He whispered, biting her earlobe softly, pulling away from her. "Just something to think about." He said, lifting her off the counter and rushing out.

Haley raised her eyebrows, scowling slightly. "What the hell?" She grumbled, shaking her head. She leaned against the counter, letting out a deep breath. She focused her attention back on angrily making Lucas' sandwich.

She stormed out of the kitchen a little while later, dropping a to-go box in front of her long time friend. "There." She said, letting out a deep breath and forcing a tight smile onto her face.

Lucas looked up at her, raising his eyebrows. "Thanks, Haley." He said slowly.

"Yep." Haley responded, looking at the two of them, sitting down next to Brooke.

Brooke cleared her throat, tapping her fingers on the table. "So..." She trailed off.

"I have to go." Lucas said, standing up slowly. "Nathan was my ride, but as he was running out, I'm pretty sure he said something about you driving me home."

Haley looked over at Brooke, sighing softly. "Is that okay?" She asked her.

"Yeah, of course. I think we should close up shop early, then I can go home to my man." Brooke hummed, rubbing her hands together. "Kids are with my mom, so you know what that means."

Haley gave her a small smile, nodding. "Okay, well let's get going then." She said to Lucas. "I'll see you later, Brooke. Sorry I've been in a bad mood. My husband is just an idiot." She grumbled, letting out a deep sigh. "No he's not, forget I said that. Bye." She said to her, hugging her quickly. "Don't forget to lock up. If you decide to stay, let me know and I'll come back. Or you can go and I'll come back, whatever..."

"Haley, you're rambling. Let's close up for the day and go home." Brooke laughed, nodding at her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." Haley said softly, looking at Lucas. "Come on." She said, rubbing her neck and heading out of the cafe.

The walk out to the car was silent, and for awhile, the car ride was quiet too, before Lucas spoke up.

"So... What's wrong?" Lucas asked her, raising his eyebrows.

Haley glanced over at him, "Nothing." She said softly, adjusting her grip on the steering wheel.

"So Nathan didn't run out of the cafe in terror that you were going to kill him?" He laughed.

She shook her head, sighing softly. "I don't think you want to hear about it."

"Haley, it's me. You're my best friend." Lucas said, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Brooke wouldn't tell me."

She sighed softly, shaking her head. "Brooke doesn't know, so if she doesn't even know, there's a pretty good chance that you don't need to know." She grumbled.

"I'm hurt, Hales. I thought I was your go to guy." He said, shaking his head.

"You are. But it's more of a thing between Nathan and me." She said, keeping her gaze on the road. "But I really, really don't want to talk about it."

Lucas looked at her, "Well, I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you. And if you and Nathan are having problems, then don't hesitate to tell me." He said, smiling at her.

"I'm fine, Lucas. We're fine too, honestly." She said to him, sending him a small smile. "We're fine."

"Okay, good." He responded, nodding at her.

After a second, Haley glanced over at him. "What are you and Peyton doing today?"

"We were going to go to lunch, but now that I brought food from the cafe, we'll probably watch movies. You can join us, if you want." He hummed, smiling.

"Thank you, but I'm alright." Haley said softly, letting out a deep breath.

"Haley, I don't like it when you're upset." He said, frowning.

"Luke, I'm not upset. It's just been a long few days. I just need to relax a little bit." She said to him, shaking her head and pulling up in front of his house. "Tell Peyton I said hi."

"Yeah, I will. Nathan said Clay needed him to go into the office, so he might be there. But my bet is he's at home." Lucas said, smiling at her. "When you punch, make sure to keep your thumb out of your fist or you could break your thumb." He laughed, winking at her and making a fist. "Oh and make sure to turn your fist so your fist is more horizontal than vertical." He hummed, punching the air.

Haley laughed, punching his shoulder softly. "I think I know how to punch, and you of all people should know that. But I won't be punching my husband."

He nodded, smiling at her. "I'll see you later, Hales. Love you!" He called out, climbing out of her car and waving behind him and walking into the house.

xxxx

Haley pulled into the garage, rolling her eyes at Nathan's car in his usually spot, shaking her head and getting out quickly, walking inside. She found him in the living room, sitting on the couch with a controller in his hands and headphones in his ears.

She walked around the couch, standing in front of the TV and resting her hands on her hips.

Nathan looked up at her, pulling his headphones out quickly. "You aren't supposed to be home yet."

"We decided to close early." Haley informed him, clearing her throat.

"Oh." He responded, looking down and letting out a small sigh.

"You think you're funny, huh?" She asked him, rolling her eyes.

"No ma'am." He replied, leaning back against the couch.

"Don't call me ma'am." She said, turning off the TV and letting out a deep breath. "That was some stunt, Scott."

"Thank you." Nathan said, crossing his arms and smirking.

She took a seat next to him, resting her hand on his leg. "Nathan, sweetie..."

"I hate when you call me that." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head. "That means you're going to tell me about what I'm doing wrong."

"Okay, not true. Let's just have an adult conversation. Can we do that?" She asked him, letting out a deep sigh.

He looked down at her, nodding. "Of course. But I'm not giving up."

"It's just a picture, Nathan! Why do you need a picture when you have the real thing? Is it really worth it?" She grumbled.

"Why can't I have both?" He questioned her, shrugging slightly.

"Because... Dammit, Nathan. Just give me the stupid picture and then have sex with me!" Haley snapped to him, squeezing his leg.

"You were right, Haley. This will be over by tonight. Only because you can't resist the Scott charm, though." He said, standing up.

"This is ridiculous, you know that?" She asked him, standing up as well and poking his chest. "I'm pregnant, and it's your duty as a husband to do what I need you to do."

"That sounds like you caving." Nathan said, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Just say the words, Haley, and I'm all yours. Like you said, it's just a picture."

"Get over yourself, Nathan." Haley grumbled, pushing his hand off her shoulder. "You aren't high and mighty. You're suffering, and I know it."

"Please, babe. I go out of town all the time." He said, shrugging slightly.

"I'm without you as often as you are without me." She pointed out, scowling at him.

"You brought me on tour with you because you couldn't handle being without me." Nathan said, raising his eyebrows.

Haley looked up at him, letting out a deep breath. "You're right." She said simply, poking his chest. "I hate being away from you, Nathan. I don't understand why we're doing this when we're around each other." She said, resting her hands on his arms, taking a small step closer to him. "All I want is my big, strong, sexy husband." She said softly, kissing his jaw lightly.

He closed his eyes, sighing softly. "Yeah?" He asked her, resting his hand on her side.

"What do you say we have the kids spend the night somewhere else tonight?" She suggested, blinking up at him. "It'll just be you, and me. I'm sure we can figure out something to do." She whispered to him, kissing him briefly. "Maybe we can do whatever you want to do." She s

Nathan pulled her closer to him, resting his forehead on hers and smiling slightly. "Mm..." He hummed, sighing softly. He stepped back after a second, looking at her and raising his eyebrows. "You did that pretty fast. I could feel myself slipping."

"You're pissing me off." Haley grumbled, pushing him softly. "Just go change, I'm tired of you looking like you're about to go play basketball all the time." She said, shaking her head and sitting on the couch.

He looked down at her, kissing her forehead softly. "All you have to do is ask, Haley. I'm more than willing." He said, smirking down at her.

"Stop talking to me. You're just making me angrier. Stop pretending like this isn't doing anything to you. I know you must be suffering, Nathan." Haley grumbled, shaking her head.

Nathan laughed, pulling his shirt over his head, dropping it in her lap. "I guess I found a second wind of strength."

"These are the days where you I wish that I could drink." She responded, throwing his shirt at him. "I don't want this."

"You say the sweetest things to me." He hummed, sitting next to her.

"Every word you say to me is making me even more mad, Nathan. So just go." She said, shaking her head and looking away from him. "I could kill you after what you did at the cafe."

"I'll use a line that Taylor would use. Hales, that was so twenty minutes ago." He said, laughing quietly.

"Oh, so now you're bringing up Taylor." She said, crossing her arms. "Go have sex with her if you like her so much."

Nathan blinked at her, raising his eyebrows. "Haley." He said, shaking his head.

"Sorry." She said, leaning her head back. "I don't know why I said that."

He looked at her, standing up slowly. "You're sexy as hell, Haley James."

"I don't want to hear it- well, actually I don't mind hearing it, but..." She trailed off, letting out a deep breath. "Nathan."

"I know, I know. But I also know that I really want you to recreate that picture with me." He said, smirking at her.

Haley rolled her eyes, letting out a small sigh. "Whatever. Just go change." She grumbled, turning the TV back on.

"You don't want to come?" He asked her, smirking slightly.

"No." She said simply, focusing her attention on the TV.

Nathan looked at her, nodding slowly. "Well, since you hate what I'm wearing, is there something specific you want me to wear?"

"I honestly don't care. You have the same shirts in like three different colors." She said, shrugging.

"Maybe you can show me some of the stuff you apparently bought yesterday." He suggested, winking at her.

"I told you what had to happen in order for me to do that." She said, crossing her arms.

"Maybe if you showed me some, I would be more willing." He said, shrugging slightly.

"It's bothering me how much you're acting like this isn't bothering you." Haley grumbled, picking up a pillow and hugging it to her.

"You've been acting all week." He pointed out.

"Ten days. Just go change, I've told you like a million times." She sighed, leaning back.

"Damn you're sexy when you're bossing me around." He said, smirking at her, hurrying away as she threw the pillow at him.

xxxx

Nathan followed Haley aimlessly through the grocery store, occasionally grabbing things off the shelves and putting them in the cart, then they would either be accepted or veto'd by her. He was zoned out on her, watching how she walked, and how she checked off her grocery list after grabbing the things she had written down. He noted how her eyes would wander over to basically anything that was unhealthy, and he could see how she talked herself out of it. He was so in love with her.

He snapped out of it when she stopped walking abruptly, running into her. He quickly rested her hands on her hips to steady her, looking down at her.

Haley looked over her shoulder at him, raising her eyebrows. "Everything alright?" She questioned him.

He nodded, looking down at her. "Uh, yeah. Sorry. I just got distracted." He said softly, resting his hands on the cart on either side of her. "You know, this isn't what I thought our night without children would be like."

"I didn't think you would volunteer to come." She grumbled, shaking her head. "This is a public place, Nathan. I feel like this is a little bit too much PDA."

"I'm not doing anything." He responded, kissing the back of her head. "I could show you PDA if you want."

"There are people around." She said softly, glancing around the empty aisle.

"Oh come on, we're old news. No one would take a picture or anything." He said softly, looking around, tilting his head down and kissing her shoulder lightly.

"I'm pretty sure people would take pictures of this. People do notice us sometimes, you know. I don't want to embarrass our kids." She said softly, ducking under his arm. "Now, if you're done running into me."

"It was an accident. I was too distracted by how beautiful you are." He said, smirking at her. "And it hurts me that you don't want my affection." He hummed, leaning against the cart.

"That's not what I said, Nathan." She responded, looking at him and sighing softly.

"It's just me being near you gets you going too much." He said, looking at her and grinning.

"Oh lord." Haley grumbled, shaking her head. "Can I have my cart back?"

"Let me push it for you." He said, looking over at her. "I want to have the power for once."

"I thought you liked it when I took control." She said, grabbing onto his bicep, resting her chin on his shoulder and looking up at him.

Nathan smirked slightly, looking down at her. "Are we still talking about pushing shopping carts?"

"Baby, I'll push your shopping cart." She responded, winking at him and holding back a laugh.

Nathan burst into laughter, looking down at her. "You're such a dork." He said, kissing her forehead. "And that doesn't even make sense."

"Just let me have my moment." She said, squeezing his arm. "And my cart back."

"Fine." He laughed, letting go over the cart and stepping back. "But only because I like to watch you walk."

Haley rolled her eyes, smiling slightly, grabbing onto the cart again, glancing over her shoulder at him.

He looked at her, grinning slightly. "You're pretty hot, I'm not going to lie."

She shook her head, laughing quietly. "Hitting on girls in the cereal aisle, huh?"

"Not enough people take advantage of how romantic this aisle can be." He pointed out. "It's the perfect place to talk to pretty girls."

"Oh, so you do this often?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Not really, I'm kind of bad with the ladies. But when I saw you, I thought 'Wow, this is the most beautiful girl in the world, I better talk to her.' So here I am." He said, smirking at her.

"Oh, I like you." Haley said, smiling at him.

Nathan matched her pace easily, resting his hand on her back. "Good. I'm glad that you're in a better mood now."

"That's because I'm making plans." She informed him, winking at him.

He blinked at her, raising his eyebrows. "Plans?"

"Mhm." Haley hummed, looking up the shelves.

"What plans?" He frowned at her, clearing his throat.

"Well..." She looked at him again, smiling at him. "When we get home, I'm going to rip that shirt off of you, and put this whip cream all over your chest." She whispered to him, holding up a bottle of whip cream she had put in the cart earlier, glancing over at the other person that had just walked into the aisle, before continuing onward.

Nathan stopped in his tracks, his eyes following her as she continued to walk slowly. He looked over at the other person in the aisle, planning out his next move carefully in his head. It would not go over well with Haley if he just pinned her up against the shelves right now, but that was all his sex deprived brain was telling him to do. He could take her to the bathrooms, it wouldn't have been the first time they'd done that. But then they'd have to leave the cart just sitting there, which she probably would not want to do. He blinked when he realized she was at the end of the aisle, looking back at him with a smug smirk on her face. He jogged to the her, shaking his head. "I thought it was unusual for you to buy that, since you said stopped yourself when it came to your other cravings." He said softly, letting out a deep breath.

Haley looked up at him, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "Mm, you know me too well. Where to next?"

"Home." He responded, letting out a deep breath. "Let's go."

"Really? You don't want to finish shopping?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Hell no. Come on, we don't need most of this stuff. I'll bring the car around front and see you out there?" He suggested, looking down at her.

She smirked at him, kissing his cheek softly. "Okay. I'll see you out there." She said, winking at him.

xxxx

Haley watched Nathan as he put away the groceries, a small smile on her face. "I love you." She blurted out, resting her hand on his back.

Nathan looked over his shoulder at her, raising his eyebrows. "I love you too." He said, smirking slightly.

"And even if we never have sex ever again, I'll still love you." She said, kissing his shoulder blade softly.

"Stop it." He grumbled, shaking his head. "Right now, we can do what we did before we were married. Make out until you decide it's time to stop."

"Didn't you marry me so we could have sex?" She questioned him, smirking slightly.

"Funny." He laughed, leaning against the counter, before turning around and looking at her, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Didn't you have a plan? I haven't put the whip cream away yet."

"You know when you told me that I wouldn't be able to resist the Scott charm?" She questioned him, kissing him softly. "Well you seem to forget that I'm a Scott too, and you can't resist my charm."

"I could never forget that you're a Scott, baby." He hummed, shrugging slightly.

Haley brushed her hand over his chest, undoing one of the buttons on his shirt, kissing his newly exposed skin lightly. She looked up at him, raising her eyebrows. She could almost see a light switch on in his head, which confused her, until he started o speak.

"Vous êtes si belle." Nathan whispered, smirking slightly.

She froze, her hands that were working on the buttons on his shirt stilling. "Don't." She said quickly. "Don't you dare start speaking French to me. You rarely do it, so don't start now."

"Pourquoi?" He questioned her, raising his eyebrows.

She could feel her knees getting weak, leaning against him, gripping his shirt tightly. "Nathan."

"S'il vous plaît." He said, leaning his head down and kissing her neck softly, pulling her closer to him.

Haley let out a deep breath, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. "You can't do this to me, with my hormones and everything..."

"Mm... Je t'aime." He responded to her, sucking on her skin lightly.

Haley shoved him back into the counter, stepping away from him, looking at his rejected face, before pulling him into a deep kiss.

He rested his hands on her waist, pushing up her shirt slightly, letting his fingertips graze over her skin lightly.

"You know what, forget the damn picture." Haley said, stepping away again and pulling her shirt over her head. She grabbed the opening of his shirt, pulling it open quickly. "I want you. Wipe that smart ass smirk on your face because you knew that would happen. But be prepared, I just spent ten days without you to lose." She grumbled, grabbing her shirt collar and pulling him down to her, so their faces were near level. "Get the whip cream out of the bag, and meet me in the bathroom." She said, kissing him once more.

Nathan nodded at her, "Okay, baby." He said, taking a second to let his eyes graze over her, smirking slightly. "And we'll be remaking the picture?"

"Eventually." She responded, rolling her eyes. "Ten days to lose, Nathan." She grumbled, gripping his arm tightly. "I'll be upstairs." She said quietly, waiting a second to make sure her legs would function properly, before heading to the stairs. "Just start stripping on your way!" She called out to him, disappearing up the stairs.

Nathan let out a deep breath once she was gone, leaning against the counter and closing his eyes. "Finally." He grumbled to himself, digging through the bags until he found the whip cream, basically running up the stairs, letting his shirt drop off his shoulders on the way.

xxxx

Haley grazed her fingernails down his sweat glazed, slightly sticky chest, looking at the clock. It was nearing three in the morning, and she was pretty sure they'd worked each other to the bone, both of them still breathing heavily.

Nathan whistled quietly, looking at her and grinning. "Damn." He said softly, kissing her forehead.

"You said that already." She responded, clearing her throat.

"Better talk while you still can, Hales. Your voice will be gone tomorrow." He said, smirking at her.

"Mm..." She trailed off, kissing his cheek softly.

He reached over, grabbing the whip cream off his nightstand and spraying some into her mouth. "You're so hot."

Haley smiled at him, winking. "You're not so bad yourself."

"Thank you." He hummed, looking down at her.

She ran her fingers through his hair, before letting her hand rest on his cheek. "I lost." She said, sighing softly.

"You went out with a bang." He informed her, smirking slightly.

She laughed, shaking her head and kissing him briefly. "Not a good joke." She said, pulling him closer to her, kissing him softly.

Nathan brushed his finger tips over her shoulder, closing his eyes and smiling against her mouth.

She pulled back after a second, taking a second to glance over his chest once again, before meeting his gaze.

"You still want this." He said, gesturing at himself. "After hours and hours, you still want more." He laughed, winking at her.

"Come on." She said, tracing the muscles in his abdomen. "We could shower, and then go downstairs and find something to eat. Or a protein shake, whatever. But I'm eating."

"I only said that so I could flex my muscles." He said, smirking slightly. "You know what really sounds good? Mac and cheese." He said, nodding at her.

"I love you so much." Haley laughed, kissing him deeply. "Come on Scott, let's get you in the shower."


	55. Chapter 55

**I don't own One Tree Hill**

 **I'm not too sure about this chapter, but I wanted to update this story.**

 **Chapter 55**

"Ouch, Haley! Dammit!" Nathan grumbled, pressing his face into his arms, which were crossed beneath his head, resting on the pillow.

"Nathan, you asked me to do this. Don't whine." Haley responded, glancing over at the clock, kneading her hands into his back.

"But you're usually gentle." He said, sighing softly.

"Yeah, well you woke me up to do this. And you know that I haven't been sleeping well." She said, smoothing her hands over the muscles in his back.

"It's like eleven o'clock, Hales." He pointed out, letting out a deep breath. He tensed up slightly, pulling a face and shaking his head.

"Nathan, relax. I'm being gentle." Haley laughed slightly, stilling her hands. "What did you even do to it?"

There was a moment of silence, before he cleared his throat.

"I, uh... Was thrown through a glass window. Remember?"

She raised her eyebrows, shaking her head. "I guess I don't recall that." She said sarcastically. "But you came home today sore. What happened?"

He was quiet again, letting out a small sigh. "Nothing happened." He replied, glancing over his shoulder at her.

She blinked down at him, beginning to massage his back again. "That wasn't suspicious at all." She hummed, shaking her head.

"It's hard to explain." Nathan replied, pressing his face into his arms. "I just hurt. It will go away soon."

"Okay, Nathan. Just tell me or I'll stop." She laughed, looking down at him.

"Okay." He said, sighing softly. "So you know how they have those places with trampolines all over the place and they have like foam pits and shit like that?"

"Tell me you and Clay didn't go hang out there all day." She said, sighing softly.

"No- well... Sort of. Not all day. Okay, we brought Davis and Jude with us, and Julian. Oh, and Lydia. And Peyton for some reason. Lucas couldn't come but Peyton overheard and wanted to join." Nathan began, shrugging slightly.

"Wait, wait, wait. You told me that you would drop the kids off at school this morning." Haley cut in, frowning at him.

"I dropped off Jamie, but you know how Lydia is... Plus it's getting closer to the end of the school year and how hard can kindergarten actually be? Anyways, she convinced me to skip the school part." He said simply, shrugging.

"You give in too easily when it comes to her, Nathan." Haley said, shaking her head. "And you know, I was supposed to meet Peyton at the studio this afternoon too. And she cancelled on me."

"Anyways, we took Davis, Jude, and Lydia there." He said, tensing up slightly. "Wait, wait. Do it right there." He said, letting out a deep breath.

She focused her attention on the particular spot on his back, letting out a small sigh. "That doesn't explain what happened exactly."

Nathan sighed, closing his eyes. "So, Davis and Jude were doing all of these crazy flips and stuff, and Peyton asked Julian if they got that from him or Brooke. And he said something about how it was definitely Brooke because she was the flexible athletic one. And Clay looked over at me and said something like 'I bet Nathan can't do that' and of course, I retaliated and argued that he couldn't."

"Of course." She responded, rolling her eyes.

"Then Peyton said something about how she knew that all three of us couldn't do anything like that." He said, shrugging slightly. "And you know me, I wanted to prove her wrong. Correction- I did prove her wrong. So Julian, Clay, and I started doing flips off the trampolines onto the trampolines on the ground, or into the foam pit. Stuff like that."

She looked down at him, sighing softly and trailing her finger down his spine, watching him shiver slightly under her touch. "You sure know how to worry a girl, Nathan Scott."

"I'll be fine, Haley." He chuckled, pressing his face into the pillow. He groaned slightly, letting out a deep breath. "Stupid Peyton."

"I even asked Lydia how school was, and she lied straight to my face." Haley said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Haley." He chuckled, letting out a small sigh. "And I'm sorry for waking you up. I know that, to quote you, this damn kid is keeping you awake." He said, smirking slightly.

"I'll stop massaging your back right now, Nathan. All you've done is complain and mock me." She grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"No, no. Don't stop." He said, laughing quietly. "I'm sorry, again."

"Uh-huh." She hummed, shaking her head and rubbing his shoulders for a second. "Speaking of our baby, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Hit me. Well, figuratively. You slap hard." He said, smirking slightly.

"So... We have an appointment next week, you remember?" She said, looking down at him.

Nathan nodded his head, "Yeah. I remember." He hummed, pressing his face into his arms. "The one where we get to find out what we're having."

"Mhm. Well... What is maybe we waited this time? So we don't know until the baby is born." She suggested, looking down at him.

He sighed softly, closing his eyes. "Why can't we just find out what we're having? It makes things easier. Plus since Quinn and Clay know they're having another boy, I want to know if we're having another one." He said simply, shrugging.

"Come on, baby. I know we decided that we were going to find out, but I've been thinking about it a lot. We already have a boy, and a girl. It'll be fun." She said, resting her hand on her stomach briefly. "You think about it. I'm going to go get the icy hot." She hummed, heading out of the room.

Nathan shook his head, sitting up and stretching his back slowly. He groaned when their phone started ringing, shaking his head. A call past eleven was usually bad news. He picked it up slowly, sighing softly.

"Scott Residence. This is Nathan." He said, standing up slowly.

"Hi, Nathan. This is Officer Wilks from the Tree Hill Police Department. We have Nicole Andrews in our custody and she claims that her father is out of town and you are her guardian at the moment. Is that true?" A female voice informed him.

Nathan let out a deep sigh. Unfortunately, it was true. William and his mother were off visiting one of William's siblings for a few days and Nicole and Jordan were staying with them. "Yeah, that's true." He grumbled, standing up slowly, picking up his shirt.

"I apologize for the late phone call, Nathan. But we need someone ere before we can release her. If you'd prefer, we can keep her here until morning." She said to him.

Nathan sighed. The offer sounded tempting, but he could hear Haley's voice in the back of his mind, telling him to go get her. "No, no. I'll come get her. Thanks for calling." He said, hanging up the phone and pulling his shirt over his head.

Haley walked back in, raising her eyebrows. "How long was I gone?" She laughed, looking at him.

"Too long. I have to go." Nathan said, sighing softly.

"Go? Where do you have to be?" She questioned him, blinking at him.

He looked at her, kissing her forehead. "Police Department. I'll explain when I get home. Apparently Nicole is in some trouble." He said, nodding at her.

Haley blinked at him. "Your step sister Nicole? The one who supposedly went to bed an hour ago?" She asked him, scowling.

"That would be the one. Go to bed, Hales. I hopefully won't be long." He grumbled, rubbing his neck.

She let out a deep sigh, shaking her head and sitting down on the bed. "Alright." She responded. "Wake me up when you get home and tell me what happened. I love you."

"Will do. Love you too." He said, sliding on his shoes and walking out of the room.

xxxx

Nathan let out a deep sigh, walking into the police department, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Nathan Scott." The gruff man sitting behind the front desk asked, looking up at him. "How's Haley doing? Staying out of trouble, I hope."

"She's doing her best, Officer Barnes." Nathan laughed, nodding at him.

"Well, I haven't seen her in here for awhile, so that's good." Officer Barnes chuckled, nodding at him. "I can't say I was shocked when I found out this girl knew you."

"She's my step sister." Nathan informed him, resting his hands on the counter. "What did she do?"

Officer Barnes stood up, looking at him. "It's the funniest thing, really. She stole a school bus." He informed him, eyeing Nathan suspiciously.

Nathan blinked at him, raising his eyebrows. "You're kidding."

"Yeah, a lot like a group of kids in your grade did a long time ago. But of course, you wouldn't know anything about that, since you weren't involved." Officer Barnes grumbled, shaking his head.

"No, sir." Nathan said, smirking slightly and shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'm not even sure where she'd get that idea."

"Oh yeah, I bet." The officer said in response, rolling his eyes. "I gotta tell you, Scott. One more person in your family rolls through here, I'm going to retire. Unless it's that pretty little wife of yours. I'll make an exception for her. So keep an eye on your kids."

"What about me?" Nathan laughed, raising his eyebrows. "I thought you had a soft spot for me."

"Oh, trust me... I don't." He replied, waving for Nathan to follow him. "Maybe if I saw you as many times as I've seen Ms. James."

"It's Mrs. Scott, sir. And I think you've made your point quite clear. I'll keep her out of trouble." He laughed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry about my step sister. She's a pain in the ass for sure." He grumbled.

"Yeah, she is." Officer Barnes agreed with him, looking over at Nathan. "She was mouthing off so we locked her up. The other students had family come pick them up."

"What's going to happen with her?" Nathan asked, sighing softly.

"I'm not sure. There was no damage done to the school bus. She may need to pay for the gas that was wasted. She could be charged with automobile theft. I don't think that the bus garage will press charges because the school bus was returned in the same condition, but my best guess would be community service, and the school may put a punishment on her."

"I just hope it doesn't mess with her chances of getting into college." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head. "Maybe I should just leave her here over night. Freak her out a bit."

"If you'd like, we can do that. It took us awhile to get anything out of her." Barnes grumbled, sighing softly. "She's an interesting one."

"I'm sorry for we behavior, but that's the way she is. Maybe some good community service will help her. Will she need a trial?" Nathan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"It all depends." He responded, guiding Nathan up to the cell Nicole was in. "Well, looks like he came through." Officer Barnes said to Nicole, nodding. "You're free to go, Ms. Andrews."

Nicole looked at Nathan, standing up and crossing her arms. "I was hoping it would be Haley that came." She said, shaking her head.

"Oh, damn. You got me. Let's go." Nathan grumbled to her, rolling his eyes. "Is there anything I need to do, Corbin?" He asked, looking over.

Officer Barnes shook his head, "We'll call you when we know more. Good luck. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you." He responded, walking back to the front desk and sitting down.

Nathan walked out of the station quickly, Nicole trailing behind him. He shook his head, looking over his shoulder at her and getting in his car quickly, slamming the door shut.

Nicole got in too, letting out an annoyed huff. "God, Nathan. You're such a jerk." She snapped to him, shaking her head.

"Oh, cry me a river, Nicole. Don't be such a bitch. You can't pull shit like this." He responded, glaring at her. "What the hell were you thinking? Stealing a school bus?"

"Don't be a hypocrite, Nathan. Honestly, I didn't ask you to come get me. This is why I like Haley more than you. This is why I like just about everyone more than you." Nicole grumbled, looking out the window.

"Don't be a hypocrite? Well you don't be a copycat." He said to her, shaking his head. "Who even told you that?"

"Who do you think?" Nicole asked him, rolling her eyes.

"Haley." He said, sighing softly. "Look, I don't know why the hell you did that, but it's really flattering that you're one of my adoring fans. But you need to come up with more original stuff."

"Shut the hell up." Nicole snapped, shaking her head. "Trust me, I don't want to be anything like you."

"Yeah, well you're acting stupid. Don't you get it, Nicole? You can't just do whatever you want. There are consequences." He said to her, rolling his eyes.

"Don't even talk to me about this, Nathan. You do whatever you want and no one cares." Nicole said simply, shrugging.

"I don't do whatever I want." He said, shaking his head.

"I don't need someone like you pushing me around and telling me what to do. I don't need you to tell me what's right and wrong." She said, glaring at him.

"The world is not full of Haleys just sitting around waiting to fix people, Nicole! Don't screw up your life so badly that you can't fix it." He said simply, shrugging and keeping his gaze focused out the windshield.

Nicole huffed, shaking her head. "Don't talk to me anymore."

"I'll do whatever I please. Because I had to come pick you up from the Tree Hill Police Station this late at night." He grumbled, shaking his head.

She let out a deep breath, crossing her arms and leaning back into her seat, staying silent.

"I should've left you there, huh? Then maybe you'd be more grateful when I picked you up." He muttered, shaking his head.

"Maybe you should have." She responded, rolling her eyes. After a second, she looked at him again. "Are you going to tell my dad?"

He sighed softly, rubbing his neck. "My instincts are screaming at me to tell him, but I won't if you don't want me to. This is going to come back and bite me in the ass though." He said, shaking his head.

"Why not?" Nicole asked him curiously, raising her eyebrows.

"Because your dad sort of sucks. And because I don't want to be a snitch. There's a whole list of reasons. But you need to get your shit together, Nicole." He said simply, glancing over at her.

Nicole let out a deep breath, looking at Nathan. It was quiet for a second, before she spoke in a much softer tone. "I got an email from my mom yesterday." She said softly.

This took Nathan by surprise. Not only the words she said, but the way she said them. It was shocking. He stayed quiet, nodding slowly.

She let out a deep sigh, shaking her head. "I don't know why I'm telling you this." She mumbled, staying quiet for another second, before turning to him. "How did you deal with your parents? All the things they've done to you..."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, sighing softly. "It's hard to let go, Nicole. There's no one telling you that you have to, so it takes time. With my mom... It was never that hard. She always cleaned up her act. But with my dad, it was difficult. As you can imagine. But I just... Felt like he was actually remorseful for the decisions he'd made in his life. It took me a long time to forgive him, and I'm not entirely sure if I've completely forgiven him. But I don't let myself live with that anger anymore. Yeah, he was a pretty terrible dad. An all around shitty guy for the most part. He saved my life though. He's helped out my family in a lot of ways. And I know it sounds kind of weird, but in a way... I bet my Uncle Keith forgave him too. So if I think he could, than why should I hold onto that?" He said, shrugging slightly. "Dan sucked. Honestly. Holding onto that anger might hurt them, but it also hurts you."

"But what do I do? I don't even know if I want to talk to her again. She left us, and everything we'd built together." Nicole said, letting out a deep breath.

"Have you told anyone else?" Nathan asked her, letting out a small sigh.

"No." She responded, leaning back. "I'm going up to visit Megan this weekend though. I'll tell her while I'm there."

"That sounds like a good idea. But if you don't want to talk to your mom, don't talk to her. Maybe you'll get some closure, who knows. But if you don't want to deal with it, then don't." He said, shrugging and pulling into their garage, glancing at the time. It was nearing midnight. He sighed softly, shaking his head. "You're welcome. For picking you up and for the free advice." He grumbled.

"I didn't say thank you." Nicole responded, rolling her eyes and walking inside.

Nathan shook his head, sitting in the car for another minute, before getting out slowly and walking inside. He rolled his eyes, rubbing his neck and letting out a deep breath. He checked on Lydia and Jamie, before heading into his and Haley's room. He found her asleep, on her left side, her back towards him. He smiled slightly, pulling his shoes off and getting into bed next to her, draping his arm over her, gently resting his hand on her stomach.

Haley leaned back into him for a second, before looking over her shoulder. "What happened?" She asked him, yawning softly.

"Well, someone mentioned to her that when I was in high school, I stole a school bus." Nathan said softly, chuckling and looking down at his wife.

She let out a deep sigh, shaking her head and grabbing onto Nathan's hand, pulling his arm tighter around her. "Dammit." She mumbled, shaking her head.

"She figured if someone as dumb as me could do it and not get caught, someone as smart as her could do it too." He said, shaking his head and laughing.

"You're not dumb. I can't believe she would do that." She groaned. "I mean, honestly. What the hell is wrong with her?"

"Hey!" Nathan defended himself, laughing.

"I know what was wrong with you, Nathan. But why would she even do that?" She grumbled, shaking her head. "That pisses me off. Especially since she'd do it while we're watching her. It's not like I can punish her."

"Let's just lay off. We're not telling William either." He said, resting his head against hers momentarily.

"Since when are you Team Nicole? I was giving you a massage, you should be furious, jumpy." Haley said, shaking her head. "If I wasn't so tired I would be in her room screaming at her."

"No you wouldn't, and don't call me jumpy." He said, shaking his head.

"I'll do whatever I want." Haley said simply, smiling at him.

He chuckled, pressing a loud kiss to her ear and smirking when she shoved him back. He pulled her back into his chest, resting his head against her pillow, holding onto her hand, gently rubbing his thumb over her knuckles.

After a moment of silence, he lifted his head up, kissing her shoulder once. "Are you sure we don't want to find out what we're having? I mean, we still have more time to talk about it, but..."

"If you're against it, we don't have to do it. I just think it might be fun." She said simply, shrugging and keeping her eyes closed. "We'll talk more tomorrow."

He sighed softly, nodding and closing his eyes. "Fine." He grumbled, before letting sleep consume him.


	56. Chapter 56

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Chapter 56**

Haley watched Nathan while he ran around on the Rivercourt, his feet pounding on the pavement. It was fairly early in the morning, she'd already dropped the kids off at school and her husband had been absent when she woke up, He was so focused, he had yet to notice her car pull up. Or yet to acknowledge it.

After awhile of waiting, she got out of the car slowly, resting her hand on her stomach and walking over to the bleachers, sitting down and watching him quietly.

Eventually, Nathan let the ball roll on the ground instead of retrieving it, turning towards her. "Hey." He said, nodding at her.

"Hey baby." Haley responded, waving at him and smiling slightly. "Everything alright?"

Nathan sat down next to her after a second, letting out a deep breath. "Yeah." He said, closing his eyes.

"I missed you this morning." She said, reaching over and grabbing his hand out of his lap. "How long have you been here?"

"Since around six. Not too long." He replied, shrugging slightly.

Haley looked up at him, frowning slightly. "Honey..."

"I'm fine, Hales." He said, leaning over and kissing her head. "I just had a messed up dream and couldn't go back to sleep."

She frowned at him, raising her eyebrows. "You've been having a lot of 'messed up' dreams lately, Nathan." She said, squeezing his hand softly.

"I guess so." He said softly, shrugging and standing up, walking over and picking up the basketball again.

Haley looked at him, running her fingers through her hair and standing up. "Give it here." She said, holding out her hand.

"Haley, you're seven months pregnant." He said, shaking his head.

"One shot won't do anything, Nathan." She said, nodding at her hand. "Give it."

Nathan sighed, setting the basketball in her palm gently, rolling his eyes slightly.

"If I make a shot, you have to tell me about your dream. You can pick the spot. But it needs to he realistic." She said, walking over to him, tugging on his sweaty shirt. "If I make two, we have to talk about it over ice cream."

"What's the point? You're going to make me take you to ice cream regardless." He said, shaking his head and laughing.

"Watch it." She said, shaking her finger at him. "Pick a spot."

Nathan walked to half court, looking at her and raising his eyebrows. "Here?"

"Stop it, Nathan. I said realistic. Can you even make it from there?" She asked him, scowling.

"I have before." He said, shrugging slightly. "Not consistently though."

Haley shook her head, "Okay, buddy, pick a spot."

Nathan sighed softly, shaking his head, picking a spot between the three point arc and the key, looking up at the basket. He tilted his head to the side a bit, taking a small step back. "Okay, Hales." He said, nodding. "Right here."

"That's too far." She said, sighing softly. "Can't you just rig is so you can tell me?"

"No, you goof. Get over here." He said, laughing and pointing at the ground.

Haley let out an annoyed sigh, stepping over to him. "Fine, fine." She grumbled, looking up at the basket.

Nathan smiled slightly at her, kissing her head, giving her butt a playful smack and taking a step back, crossing his arms. "Okay, Haley James. Take your shot." He said, smirking.

He looked over her shoulder at him, winking at him. "We could always cut out the middle man and you could just tell me."

"There's nothing to talk about, Hales. I had a messed up dream, but it's a wonder how we both don't have messed up dreams every night. I'm fine." He said simply, nodding up at the basket.

"This is an argument that we've had our whole married life. You have to let me in, Nathan." She said simply, looking up at the basket and sighing. "Really?"

"Yep." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "No granny shot either."

Haley let out a deep sigh, glancing over at him once more, shifting her gaze back to the basket and raising the ball up, shooting it slightly awkwardly.

Nathan watched it roll around the rim, before falling in. He raised his eyebrows, looking at his wife quickly.

"I made it!" Haley said, looking over at him and winking. "Suck on that, Scott!" She cheered, stepping to him and poking his chest.

"I can't believe this." He said, shaking his head. "What the hell, Haley?"

"What, Nathan? I can't be good at basketball?" She asked him, holding back laughter.

He looked at her in disbelief, resting his hand on her stomach. "My kid is probably going to grow up to be an amazing ball player if he can make his mom good at basketball."

"Or she." Haley pointed out, shrugging slightly. "Maybe I'm good at basketball and I've been hiding it from you all these years."

"Yeah? Make it again. For ice cream." He said simply, walking over and picking up the ball, hurrying back and handing it to her.

She shot it up again, watching as it completely air balled the hoop. "Well, I guess that's not it."

He laughed, shaking his head and wrapping his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her head. "I can't believe you made that."

"When Mama wants information, she does what she needs to do." She pointed out, shrugging and leaning back into him.

Nathan rested his hands on her stomach softly, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath.

"Do you want to go get some ice cream and talk, or talk here?" She asked him, resting her hand over his.

"I really don't feel like I need to talk about it, Hales. I just wanted to come out here and clear my head." He said, shrugging slightly.

"I want ice cream." She said simply, pulling away from him and turning around, pushing his sweaty hair off his face.

"It's barely eight-thirty." He reminded her, shaking his head.

She shrugged slightly, nodding towards her car. "You want to drive, or me?" She questioned him.

"It's been awhile since I've seen you drive this car." He said, nodding. "Usually when you take the kids you drive my car and then I have to change the seat before I can even fit into it."

"I wonder if you'll ever stop making jokes about my height." She said, tugging on his shirt softly.

"Probably not." He hummed, kissing her forehead. "I need to go home and shower."

"No you don't. I'll drive, let's go." Haley said, looking up at him.

Nathan sighed, picking up the basketball and shaking his head. "You didn't even make the second basket."

"Who cares?" She asked, grabbing his hand, intertwining their fingers.

"I'd rather drive." He informed her, shaking his head.

"Hm." She said, looking at him and raising her eyebrows.

"What? I promise I won't take you home. Though, after watching you make that basket, the thought did cross my mind." He said, winking at her. "Ice cream."

Haley laughed, pulling him over and kissing him softly. "I have the perfect husband. Ice cream for breakfast." She said, smiling at him.

"Don't tell people that." He groaned, pulling her over to his car and opening the passenger door.

She laughed, letting him help her up into his car, watching him run around to the driver's side and get in.

xxxx

"Stop looking at me and eat your ice cream." Haley said, shaking her head and looking at him.

"I'm sorry, it's just hard for me to eat ice cream at this time of day." Nathan said, laughing.

"I know that's not true." She said, reaching across the table and smacking his arm.

"I'm an adult, Haley." He pointed out.

She laughed, shaking her head. "I've seen you eat ice cream for breakfast plenty times."

Nathan looked at her and smiled, "Maybe I'm just captivated by your beauty." He said softly, grabbing her hand and kissing her knuckles.

She rolled her eyes, reaching her spoon over and taking a bite of his ice cream. "So, are you going to talk to me?"

He sighed, opening his mouth to respond when her phone started to ring.

Haley groaned, looking down at it and setting it on the table, sucking in a deep breath. "It's Quinn. She's driving me insane, Nathan." She said, shaking her head. "She thinks I'm some kind of baby expert, and calls me for all her questions. Vivian has had way more kids than us, why doesn't she call her?"

Nathan chuckled quietly, "Just ignore the call then."

"I can't, she's my sister. And if I do that, she'll just call back." She grumbled, picking up the phone again. "Give me one second." She said, answering it.

Nathan watched her, smiling slightly as she talked back and forth with her sister, reaching out and grabbing her hand when he could tell she was getting a little annoyed by the questions she was being asked. He wasn't really listening to anything that was going on, just zoned out on his beautiful wife. But he was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the words "I'll see you soon" leave Haley's mouth.

"I have to go." Haley groaned, shaking her head and standing up. "You can drop me off at my car."

Nathan nodded slowly, standing up as well. "You're a good sister."

"Yeah, yeah." She grumbled, throwing at her ice cream and shaking her head. "You can come if you want. I think Clay is home." She said, looking over at him.

He shrugged slightly, "I don't know. We'll see." He said, walking out of the shop. He helped Haley into the car, hurrying around and getting in.

"You know you don't have to do that." Haley said, chuckling quietly. "I'm pregnant, I can still get in the car."

"It's easier for me to take two seconds to help you in the car than wait fifteen while you do it yourself." He informed her, smirking slightly.

"Ha-ha." She said, shaking her head and resting her hand on his leg.

"So, for music... I was thinking the new Haley James alb- Oh wait, she promised it to her fans but has yet to release anything." He said, looking over at her.

"Hey! I told you, Nathan. The album is just about there. Just a few final touches, and it should he released next month." She grumbled, shaking her head.

"When do I get to hear it?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Sometime before then." She said, squeezing his leg softly.

"Sweet." He said, grinning at her.

"We have a few minutes. Are you going to talk to me?" She asked, leaning against the arm rest. "I made the shot."

"I know. I'm not sure I'll ever stop thinking about it. Very sexy." He chuckled, winking at her. "I'm still not convinced you didn't cheat somehow."

"Shh. Talk to me, baby." She said, looking over at him.

"I just worry, Haley. About you, the kids, the baby. All of it." He said simply, shrugging. "Sometimes I just have these dreams about what could've happened to us. For example, last night it was the state championship, and I was seventeen again, and I watched you get hit by that car, and I froze. Everything around me was moving, but I couldn't move." He said, shaking his head. "And instead of everything ending up the way it did, it all took a turn for the worse." He said softly, keeping his focus on the road.

Haley frowned at him, grabbing his hand and squeezing it softly. "I love you, Nathan. You don't need to worry. We get through everything."

"Don't you ever have any nightmares like that, Haley?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"Sometimes." She responded, kissing his hand.

"It's just hard. I just wake up with this terrible feeling inside, like something horrible is going to happen to you, or to one of the kids. Nothing ever really happens, but I hate it." He said softly.

"Maybe you should talk to someone, Nathan." She suggested, holding his hand close to her.

"No." He said, shaking his head. "Trust me, I've said all I need to say. We've had shitty stuff happen to us, Haley. We have to live with it. If it was every night it would be more concerning."

Haley sighed softly, nodding. "Alright." She said, kissing his hand. "I love you. Just know that I'm always here."

He glanced over at her, smiling slightly. "I love you too, baby."

After a short while, they arrived back at the Rivercourt. Nathan got out slowly, walking around the car and pulling open Haley's door.

"Have fun at Quinn's house." He said softly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

She smiled at him, grabbing his shirt softly, "We'll see. The closer her due date gets, the crazier she is." She hummed, pulling him closer to her. "I guess I'll see you at home later. I'll pick up the kids, it'll give me an excuse if things get crazy."

"Smart." He laughed, kissing her briefly. "See you later."

Haley smiled up at him, kissing him again, resting her hands on his sides. She pulled back after a second, letting out a deep breath. "Bye, Nate. Let me know if you need anything."

He smiled at her, nodding and watching her get into her car and drive away. He leaned back against his car, letting out a deep breath before grabbing the basketball out of it once again, stepping back onto the blacktop.

After about an hour of shooting around, he heard his phone ringing. He jogged over to the bleacher's, picking it up and sighing when Megan's name appeared. He debated not answering it, but decided against it.

"Hello?" He grumbled into the phone, running his fingers through his hair.

"Nathan! Thank god." Megan said, breathing deeply. "I'm on my way to Tree Hill, and I'm pretty sure I'm going in to labor."

"What?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You're the only one that has answered me! I'm on my way to the hospital, and I really need you to meet me there." She snapped to him.

"Do you need me to come pick you up?" Nathan asked her quickly, rushing to his car.

"No, I'm almost there but please, Nathan. Be there soon because I don't know if I can do this alone." She said to him, letting out a deep sigh.

"I'm, uh, on my way." He said, shrugging slightly.

"Stay on the phone with me, please." Megan said softly.

"Yeah, of course. Just breathe, Megan. I promise that everything will be alright." He assured her, beginning to drive towards the hospital.

"Of course this had to happen to me." She groaned, "My due date isn't for another three weeks, I thought I'd be fine."

"Yeah, well due dates aren't completely accurate." Nathan said, letting out a small sigh.

"Really? I had no idea, I thought every person was born on the exact day a doctor guessed it." She said sarcastically.

Nathan sighed softly, "It's all going to be alright." He said, keeping his eyes focused on the road.

"I wish Haley would answer her damn phone every once and awhile." Megan groaned.

"She's with her sister." He informed her.

"I hate men right now, Nathan. Do you think it gets worse than what I'm feeling? Be honest." She asked him.

"Yeah." Nathan said, before shaking his head at himself.

"Don't tell me that!" Megan screamed into the phone.

"Just focus on driving." He said, pulling the phone from his ear momentarily.

"If I can't get ahold of Haley, you'll come into the room and hold my hand, right?" Megan asked him quickly.

Nathan sighed again, "Yeah. But I'm staying up by your head and not going any further."

"Wouldn't want you to." Megan grumbled. "Stupid Grayson, and his stupid ass college classes."

"Grayson is a stupid ass in general." Nathan responded.

"Be nice to my baby's dad." Megan cried out.

"Sorry. Don't think about it, Megan. Just think about the cute little baby that you're going to have soon." He said, letting out a deep breath. "Boy or girl? Which one do you think you'll have?"

Megan sucked in a sharp breath, "I don't know, Nathan. Right now all I know is I want this kid out of me." She grumbled. "I'm at the hospital, are you here?"

"I'm almost there."

"What? You're not here yet? Speed up, Nathan!" She cried out.

"I'll meet you inside." He said quickly.

"No, I'm not going in without you. Please hurry." She groaned.

"Alright, alright." He responded, shaking his head. "I don't want to get pulled over."

"I can't believe Haley has done this more than once. Why isn't she answering her phone?"

"I've done it more than once too, Megan." He reminded her.

"It's not the same, Nathan! Poor you, you get your hand squeezed." She snapped to him.

"Alright, alright. I'm at the hospital." He said, parking and quickly getting out of his car. "What does your car look like?"

"You're the worst brother ever." Megan cried, "How could you forget my car?"

Nathan searched his brain, letting out a deep breath. "It's blue." He finally said, shrugging.

"It's silver. Don't you see it?" She responded.

He saw about a million silver cars in the parking lot. How the hell was he supposed to distinguish hers from the rest? "I need more information, Megan." He snapped slightly.

"Don't yell at me, I'm having a baby!" She screamed into the phone.

Nathan looked around quickly, letting out a deep breath. "Just get out of the car, Megan." He grumbled, climbing on top of the hood of his car. After looking for a second, he spotted her, letting out a sigh of relief. "I see you. I'm coming over." He said quickly, beginning to rush to her.

"Thank you." Megan said, letting out a deep breath. "Oh, and Nathan?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't be a little bitch and complain about me squeezing your hand."


	57. Chapter 57

**I don't own One Tree Hill.**

 **Thank you to everyone that has continued to read this story! I appreciate all of the support.**

 **Oh, and I also talk about a few movies in this chapter. I don't own those either.**

 **Chapter 57**

Haley smiled at the sight in front of her as she walked into the living room, letting out a deep breath. Nathan with a baby was always something that would make her heart race.

Lydia was sitting next to him on the couch, staring at the small baby in his arms. Every time the child would move, or do anything, Lydia would giggle and look up at Nathan.

"She's beautiful." Haley said, walking around the couch and sitting down next to Lydia, wrapping her arm around her daughter's shoulders, glancing up at the TV. Frozen was playing, but the volume was very quiet, and the subtitles were on, despite the fact that Lydia probably could not read them that well.

"I didn't hear you come in." Nathan said, looking at her and smiling.

Lydia looked up at her mother, "Daddy let me hold her." She informed him, shrugging. "She started crying once he took her back. She likes me better."

"She does not." Nathan protested, shaking his head. "She was tired."

"She wouldn't stop crying." Lydia responded, giggling and looking up at the TV.

"How'd you get her to stop?" Haley asked, letting out a deep breath, leaning back against the couch.

"A little bit of Haley James' new album did the trick. That, and unfortunately For The First Time in Forever." He said, shaking his head. "I don't know why we're still watching Frozen. Moana was way better." He grumbled.

Lydia shook her head, "Be quiet, Daddy. I'm watching the movie with..." She trailed off. "What's the baby's name again?" She asked, glancing up at him.

"Naley." He said, winking at her.

"I'm watching the movie with Naley and we want you to be quiet because we can barely hear." Lydia said, looking back at the TV.

Haley shook her head, rolling her eyes. "That's not her name, Lydia." She said, kissing her daughter's head. "Her name is Natalie." She informed her. "Natalie Reagan Stone. Her initials are the same as his." She hummed, pushing on Nathan's arm softly.

"Should be Naley." He responded, smiling down at the baby in his arms.

Haley laughed quietly, looking at the movie for a second, before looking back over to Nathan. "Where's Mom?" She asked, gesturing to the baby.

"She's asleep upstairs. Showed up about two hours ago in tears because she hasn't had any good sleep in days." He informed her, leaning back against the couch.

"Poor girl. At least Grayson's semester is almost over. I'm sure it's hard for him to be away from them." She said, shrugging slightly.

"It wasn't hard for him when I had to move a ton of stuff into their new apartment because he wasn't there." He grumbled.

Lydia huffed quietly, looking up at them. "Really, you two? Do you not listen to me?" She questioned them.

Nathan smiled at her, shaking his head and laughing. "Quiet, Lydia. I'm trying to watch the movie." He said, shifting the baby in his arms.

Haley stood up slowly, resting her hand on her back. "Scoot down, Lydia. I'm going to sit by dad so we don't have to talk over you."

"I'm sitting by him." Lydia frowned, shaking her head and resting her hand on Natalie's foot.

"I know, sweetie. I'm going to make him scoot down too. Don't worry." She laughed, watching as the two of them moved down the couch, taking a seat on the other side of Nathan. "Where's Jamie?" She asked him softly.

"Baseball practice." He hummed, letting out a deep breath. "Season is almost over."

"Who took him?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Julian came and picked him up." He informed her, glancing over at her.

Haley nodded and looked down at the baby in his arms, gently brushing her hand over her head, smoothing out her hair. "She's beautiful. Just like her mom."

He grumbled in response, holding the small child close to him, before looking over in his wife's direction. "So how was it?" He asked her. "The interview."

"Oh, it went well." Haley hummed, resting her head on his shoulder. "Your kid was kicking like crazy the whole time. This baby is going to be a show off, just like you." She said, laughing quietly.

Nathan smiled at her, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "Well, I for one, can't wait to watch it. I love listening to you talk about your music."

"I talked about you too, don't worry." She said, nudging her elbow into his arm.

"I like listening to you talk about me too." He said, smirking slightly.

Lydia held her finger to her lips, letting out a loud 'Shh' before pointing up at the movie. "I'm trying to watch." She grumbled.

Haley laughed, looking over at her and shaking her head, lowering her voice. "She's your kid."

"All these kids are apparently turning into my kids. What about our kid, which one is that?" He laughed, shaking his head.

"Jamie." She responded, closing her eyes. "I stopped in on Quinn today before I came home. Two days until her due date and she is getting cranky."

"Yeah, Clay told me." He responded, sliding his finger into Natalie's open hand, watching her hand close around it.

"You better not say things about me, Mr. Scott." She said, smiling brightly at the sight in front of her. Nothing was better than Nathan Scott with a baby.

"I wouldn't dare." He said, shaking his head. "I know how mean you can get."

Haley laughed, holding out her arms. "Give her here." She said, smiling down at the baby when Nathan set her in her arms.

"This will be our life soon." He hummed to her, switching seats with Lydia, since she wanted to be close to the baby.

"Three kids. Phew." She said, smiling over at Lydia. "Now I wish Jamie was here."

"I guess having another girl wouldn't be so bad." He said, smiling at the girls in front of him. "I don't think I could go wrong being surrounded by a ton of Wonder Women."

Haley looked at him, kinking her eyebrow. "Why Wonder Woman, hm?" She asked him. "Is it because she's gorgeous? That's why you chose her? Because I'm pretty sure you, Clay, and Chase went to see that movie twice in the movie theater."

Nathan looked at her, his eyes widening a bit. "Wow, I love Frozen." He said, shifting his gaze up to the TV. "Such a good movie."

"Answer the question, Scott." She said, blinking at him.

"I was just saying because she's awesome and strong. I didn't say anything about her looks. Plus I didn't specify on a Wonder Woman. Just in general." He said quickly, looking over at Haley. "God, you're pretty." He said, letting out a deep breath. This would definitely be one of the mood swings that he'd be able to talk to Clay about.

Haley shook her head, leaning down and kissing Natalie's forehead softly. "We'll talk about it later." She hummed, looking over in Nathan's direction for a brief moment, before looking down at the baby in her arms. "Yes we will, won't we?" She asked the girl in a 'baby voice', smiling down at her. "Aunt Haley is going to take away all of Uncle Nathan's money, huh?"

"Maybe I want another son." He said, shaking his head and standing up. "I'm going to go catch the end of Jamie's practice, maybe see if he wants to hang out. I've had far too much baby throw up on me today. Plus I let Lydia paint my toenails this morning, so I'm in need of some guy time." He said, kissing Lydia's head. "Bye little bear. I'll see you later." He hummed, looking at Haley. "Bye most beautiful woman in the world. No one compares to you." He said, leaning over and kissing her briefly.

Haley laughed quietly, shaking her head. "Bye baby." She said, watching him rush out.

It wasn't long after Nathan left that Megan came down the stairs, waving at Haley.

"Your husband is a saint." She said, falling next to Lydia on the couch.

"He's alright." Haley laughed, looking over at her. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm so tired." Megan sighed, looking at the baby in Haley's arms. "She's evil, I swear."

"I'll take her. At least until my baby is born." Haley hummed, smiling brightly.

"Not a chance." Megan laughed, looking at Lydia. "I just want to skip a few years and have her be this angel child's age."

Lydia grinned up at Haley, "Angel child." She hummed, pointing to herself.

"Uh huh." Haley laughed, kissing Lydia's head. "Did you clean your room today?"

Lydia looked up at her, blinking and stretching her arms above her head. "Wow, I'm tired. I think I'm going to go take a nap." She said, standing up and rushing towards the stairs.

Haley laughed, looking over at Megan. "I like your baby. She's cute."

"You know that your husband has honestly been my hero." Megan said, laughing. "Honestly, he's practically been waiting on me hand and foot."

"He's a great guy." Haley agreed, nodding at her. "An amazing guy. Despite all the crap he gives you, I know he actually care about you all." She said, smiling slightly. "We were laying in bed the other night, and I was almost asleep and he started asking me questions about you three."

"What kind of questions?" Megan asked curiously, raising her eyebrows.

"Surprisingly, he started with Nicole. Wondering what her plans were." Haley hummed, rocking the baby when she started to fuss a little. "He asked if Jordan was dating Chuck, and gave a huge sigh of relief when I said that I didn't think she was." She laughed, shaking her head. "He asked me how your dad was treating you all, and how Grayson was treating you."

Megan smiled slightly, shaking her head. "Has he always been like this? Pretend like he doesn't care when he does?"

Haley shrugged slightly, "He's complicated. He seems like he wouldn't be, but he is." She said simply, smiling. "He cares about the people around him more than anything though, that's for sure. He would do anything for you guys, even if he won't admit it."

Megan let out a deep breath, looking up at the TV. "He's very hot headed though."

"Tell me that you're not just noticing that." Haley laughed, shaking her head. "Dan was hot headed. Deb was crazy. It's a wonder how he ended up the way he did."

"He says he owes it to you." Megan hummed, smiling at her.

"He does say that a lot." Haley responded, shrugging and looking down at the baby.

Megan cleared her throat, looking at Haley and raising her eyebrows. "So, did you hear about the email Nicole got?"

Haley looked over at her, blinking. "What was it about?" She asked curiously, shaking her head.

"Oh." Megan said, letting out a deep breath. "She told me that she told Nathan. After she got in trouble for... Stealing a school bus or something like that."

"She told Nathan?" Haley questioned, raising her eyebrows. "Am I hearing that correctly?"

"I was a little surprised too." Megan chuckled, "She doesn't usually speak highly of him. But she said he was fairly... Cool about the whole situation." She said, shaking her head. "I just about had a heart attack."

"I can't believe he didn't tell me." Haley said, blinking. "I'm surprised, really." She said, brushing her fingers over Natalie's head. "He tells me things like that."

"I'm sorry." Megan chuckled, shaking her head. "Yeah, Nicole got an email from our mom. Talking about meeting up and stuff like that." She said, letting out a deep breath.

Haley raised her eyebrows, "Wow. That's heavy. What does she think of it?" She questioned her, frowning slightly.

"Well, Nathan said that if she doesn't want to talk to her, then don't talk to her." Megan said, shrugging. "Short and simple. Good advice. I got a little more angry than that. Thankfully, Nicole wouldn't give me her email because I would have sent some angry words. Maybe a lot of flip-off emojis." She said, chuckling.

"Did she respond?" Haley asked her, sighing softly.

"I don't know. She won't tell me." Megan grumbled, shaking her head. "I think she did. But I have no clue what she would say." She sighed, rubbing her neck softly.

"Well, maybe if she trusted Nathan enough the first time, she'll tell him again. Then I'll pry it out of him, and tell you." Haley laughed.

"Good plan." Megan responded, looking up at the TV and sighing again. "So... Frozen, huh?"

xxxx

Nathan closed his eyes, one arm behind his head, the other hanging off the edge of the pool floatie he was on, dipped in the water.

Following Jamie's baseball practice, they'd made a brief trip to the store to pick up a few things, before they headed over to Clay's house.

Currently, himself, Jamie, Clay, and Logan were all lounging around in the pool, laying on various colorful floaties, listening while Jamie talked about baseball practice.

"So, Jamie... Do you want us to sign you as a baseball player, or as a basketball player?" Clay asked him, smirking slightly.

"Hell no, Clay. You aren't putting my son in a box. He's a Scott boy. He's special. We'll sign him as both." Nathan responded, smirking slightly and looking over at Jamie, bumping fists.

Logan looked at them, raising his eyebrows. "What do you want to sign me as?" He asked them.

"Obviously we're going to sign you as Wolverine." Clay responded, closing his eyes and yawning.

"Sign me as Wolverine." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head.

"I already tried to sign you, Nate. And you were too worried about your back and not being able to walk. Oh, poor little Nathan Scott wants to be able to at with his children." Clay joked, smirking slightly.

Nathan splashed him, rolling his eyes. "You suck, man." He laughed, resting his head back down.

Clay laughed, splashing some water at Nathan. "I'm just joking, man." He said, looking over at him.

"I'm going to be in trouble because of you, Clay." Nathan said, rolling his eyes. "I can't tell if Haley's actually mad at me or if she's just joking at this point."

"What did you do?" Jamie asked him curiously, smirking slightly.

"Hey, we're in the brozone layer, Jamie. Anything he says, you can't repeat. Same goes to for you, Logan." Clay said to him, shaking his head. "What did you do?"

"We went to go see Wonder Woman twice, and she found out." Nathan said, shaking his head. "I don't know if she's mad or what. Stupid Chase." He grumbled.

"Here's what I say to Quinn. 'Babe, the only superhero I'm interested in is Shutterbug.' Works every time." Clay said, laughing. "And it's true, because my wife is sexy."

"Dad!" Logan groaned, shaking his head.

"Whoops. Usually if we do this pool venting sessions, it's only Nathan and me. Sometimes Chase. Every once and awhile Julian. Lucas has been here once too." Clay laughed, shaking his head.

"Where is Quinn anyways?" Nathan asked, looking over at Clay.

"She's inside taking a nap. She needs to have this baby soon. I think she's feeling a little miserable. And swollen." Clay said, shaking her head.

"And she's having trouble sleeping at night." Logan added, stretching out.

"Yeah. Which means I can't sleep either." Clay grumbled, shaking his head.

"Well, there is another person inside of her." Nathan pointed out, shrugging slightly.

"How's Haley feeling?" Clay asked after a moment of silence.

"She's doing well, actually. Her album is how they kids say today... Fire." He said, smirking slightly when he heard Jamie groan.

"Dad! Don't say stuff like that." Jamie protested, shaking his head.

"I think you should dab after that one." Clay said, laughing.

"Uncle Clay! Don't encourage him." Jamie grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Anyways, she did an interview today. I can't wait to see it. I like watching my girl on the TV screen." He said, shrugging slightly. "More than Wonder Woman." He added, smirking slightly.

"Tell her that." Clay said, nodding at him.

"Oh, I will." Nathan said, smirking slightly, high-fiving his friend and resting his head back against his arm.

"I don't think I ever want to do this with you guys again." Jamie grumbled, shaking his head.

"Jamie, when two people love each other..." Clay began, laughing when both Logan and Jamie started yelling for him to stop.

Nathan chuckled quietly, rolling his eyes. "Clay, shut up." He said, yawning.

Clay splashed Nathan, shaking his head. "I'll do whatever I want. It's my pool."

Nathan swam himself over to Clay, shoving him into the water. "Accident." He said, holding up his hands.

Clay rolled his eyes, flipping Nathan over and climbing back onto his floatie. "Logan, lesson one. Don't make friends with Scott boys." He said, holding up his finger.

Nathan laughed, running his fingers through his hair. "You'd be lost without me, Clay." He reminded him. "Plus you never would've met Quinn."

"Hm. Good point." Clay said, shaking his head. "You speak the truth. Plus, you've made me a lot of money. So I guess that's good." He laughed, shrugging.

"Yeah." Nathan responded, climbing back up and laying down, yawning.

They were all silent for awhile, the only noise that had been made in minutes was Quinn stepping outside.

"Clay! I think it's time." Quinn said, letting out a deep breath.

Nathan's, Jamie's, and Logan's heads all snapped up, looking at the woman standing on the balcony, breathing heavily.

"Mhm, okay, babe." Clay said, yawning. After a moment of her words processing, he fell off his tube again, looking up at her with wide eyes. "It's time?"

"Dammit, Clayton Evans! You better get your ass up here." Quinn yelled, her hand rested on her stomach, hunched over and gripping the railing.

Clay scrambled out of the pool quickly, pulling on his t-shirt and shoes. "Nate, could you-"

"I've got him." Nathan said, nodding at Logan. "I'll call Haley too. Better get going." He said, waving at his friend.

"Can you bring me some clothes?" Clay asked, nodding.

"Clay!" Quinn yelled again, the door slamming after her.

"Yes, Clay. Go!" Nathan laughed, climbing out of the pool. "I'll grab you some clothes." He grumbled, letting out a small sigh. "Good luck."

Clay nodded at him, running into the house after Quinn, water dropping behind him.

"I'm going to call Haley. Logan, go get your dad some clothes and get changed." Nathan chuckled, picking up a towel.

Logan nodded, getting out of the pool, grabbing a towel and rushing inside.

"I think I'm just going to chill here." Jamie hummed, folding his arms behind his head, closing his eyes.

Nathan laughed, rolling his eyes. "You. Out. Chop chop." He said, picking up his phone, calling his wife.

"Hey." Her voice hummed through the phone.

"Hey." Nathan said, snapping his fingers at Jamie to get out of the pool. "Quinn just went into labor."

"What?" Haley asked, blinking. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. I'm bringing Logan over there." Nathan informed her, "So... If you want to meet me there with Lydia."

"Yeah, of course!" She responded, "Megan just left, I was just about to make dinner but we'll figure something out later. I'm on my way there. I'll see you soon?"

"See you soon, drive safe. I love you." He said into the phone, before hanging it up. "Okay, Jamie. Go inside and change."

xxxx

Haley laughed quietly as Clay ran out to Nathan, still wearing a swimsuit. He quickly took the clothes from his friend, exchanged a few words, before he was gone again.

"So, Logan. Are you excited?" She asked him, smiling brightly. "A little brother. It's going to be so awesome."

Logan nodded his head, "Yeah. I'm just worried that he'll cry all night." He laughed, shrugging slightly.

"I don't think you need to worry too much. Neither of our kids were too crazy when it came to crying." Haley hummed, linking her arm through Nathan's, resting her hand on his forearm.

"You just jinxed us." Nathan chuckled, shaking his head. "But you can come stay at our house until our baby is born if he cries too much. Knowing both your dad, and your mom... He'll be a big crier." He joked, smiling at Logan.

Haley opened her mouth to respond, before something caught her gaze. She head snapped to Nathan, shaking her head quickly. "What did you do?"

Nathan looked over, bursting into laughter. Jamie and Lydia were heading over, arms full of probably everything that was in the vending machine.

He shrugged slightly, "I made dinner." He responded, winking at her. "For you, babe."

"Awesome." Logan laughed, watching as Jamie and Lydia set the stuff on the table.

"I tell you kids to eat healthy, and it goes in one ear and out the other. And when I say 'you kids', you're included in that, Nathan." She grumbled, picking up a bag of chips.

"What are we doing here again?" Lydia asked, taking a seat next to Haley, scooting herself forward to the edge.

"Aunt Quinn is having her baby!" Haley hummed, wrapping her arm around the back of her daughter's chair. "You're going to have another little cousin."

"There's already a baby." Lydia pointed out, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, but that's Megan's baby. This one is Quinn's." Haley hummed, looking over at Nathan. "And the next baby will be ours."

Nathan smiled at her, letting out a deep breath. "Yeah. And you'll have a little brother or sister."

"I'll have a sister." Lydia clarified, clearing her throat. "I don't want another brother." She said, shaking her head quickly.

"I have three brothers, and I like them." Haley pointed out, winking at her. "Logan is about to have a little brother, and he's excited. Daddy likes his brother too." She said, nodding at Nathan. "Right, honey?"

"Yeah." Nathan said, shrugging slightly. "Plus, I'm Uncle Lucas' younger brother, so little brothers aren't that bad." He pointed out, smirking slightly.

"Yeah, but older brothers are always cooler than younger brothers, never forget that." Jamie said, fist bumping Logan.

"Hey!" Nathan said, shaking his head quickly. "I'm cooler than Lucas." He said, fake pouting. "Hales?"

"Luke is pretty cool." Haley said, smiling at him. "I think that no matter what, boy or girl, this baby will be pretty cool." She hummed, "Because my baby is going to have the coolest mom in the world. All three of you are and will be cool, because your mom is so cool. Logan, you're a close second." She laughed, shaking her head.

"I can't argue with those facts." Nathan hummed, taking one of Haley's chips.

"I think I'm number one." Logan pointed out. "My little brother is number two. Then my parents, then maybe you guys." He chuckled, shrugging.

"Do you get to name him? Because they're letting me name my younger sister." Lydia hummed, looking across Haley, to Nathan. "Right?"

"Yep." Nathan chuckled, leaning back in his chair, resting his hand on Haley's back, lightly rubbing his fingers up and down her back.

"We talked about it. But I'm not allowed to tell." Logan said, shrugging. "Do you guys know how long this is going to take?"

"It could take awhile." Haley said to him, sighing softly. "But don't worry. If it gets too late, you can come home with us, or one of us will stay here with you." She said, smiling at him.

"When Lydia was born, we played UNO to pass the time." Jamie said, nodding at Logan.

"Good idea, Jamie." Nathan said, nodding at him. "I'll be back. I'm going to go down to the gift shop and see if I can find some type of game."

xxxx

Thankfully, it had not taken that long. Within three more hours, Skylar Clayton Evans had been born into the world.

Haley smiled slightly as she stepped into the room. Nathan had taken the kids home, Logan included a few minutes prior.

"He's so beautiful, Quinn." Haley said softly, taking a careful seat on the edge of the bed.

"I know." Quinn responded, gazing down at her son in her arms. "I can't believe it. He's perfect."

Haley grinned at her older sister, "The pain is worth it, huh?" She said, laughing quietly. "Because you get this amazing baby."

"He so, so perfect." Quinn said, nodding. "I was a little mean to Clay." She chuckled lightly, brushing her fingers over Skylar's cheek.

"He deserves it." Haley laughed, shrugging. "They're sitting next to you, telling you that everything is fine, but they aren't the ones pushing a human out of them." She said, resting her hand on Quinn's shin gently.

"He was sweet, though. It's been a long time since he's done this, but he was very nice about it." Quinn said, nodding her head slowly.

"It was pretty funny to watch him come running out in a swimsuit." Haley hummed, looking up when Clay walked into the room.

"Haha, very funny, Hales." Clay said, shaking his head. "It could be considered after hours. I could send someone up here to kick you out." He pointed out, shrugging slightly.

"Oh, but you wouldn't. Because I'm this baby's favorite aunt." Haley hummed, shaking her head.

"And Godmother." Quinn said, nodding at her. "If you want to be."

Haley's smile grew, nodding quickly. "Absolutely." She said, biting her lip softly. "Now I'm going to cry." She laughed, fanning her face. "I need to get this baby out of me." She joked, resting her hand on her stomach.

"I thought we were going to talk to them at the same time." Clay said, shaking his head.

"I couldn't help it." Quinn laughed, adjusting the little blue hat on Skylar's head, letting out a deep breath.

"Yeah, yeah. We're going to ask Nathan to be his Godfather. Not a surprise." Clay chuckled, standing up and walking over to Haley, helping her up to her feet and hugging her.

Haley held onto him tightly, before looking over at Quinn. "Alright, I better get going. It's getting late." She hummed, walking over to Quinn, wrapping her arm around of her shoulders. "Good job today." She said, nodding at her.

Quinn leaned into her, smiling. "Thank you." She said softly. "For being here. I love you."

"Of course. I love you too. I'll come see you tomorrow, okay?" Haley hummed, looking down at the baby, smiling. "He really is perfect."

Quinn nodded, "He's amazing. Say goodbye to Aunt Haley, little man." She said, holding Skylar up at little bit.

Haley smiled, tapping the baby's nose. "Bye, cutie. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Haley, I'm touched but my wife is your sister." Clay said, smirking at her.

"Ha ha, you're so funny." Haley said sarcastically, shaking her head. "Call me if you need me." She hummed, glancing back down at the baby. "Get some sleep." She said, nodding at Quinn, waving.

xxxx

Haley slid into bed next to Nathan, leaning back against the headboard, running her fingers through his hair, smiling down at him.

Nathan shifted slightly, resting his hand on her leg, keeping his eyes closed. "Hey." He mumbled, pressing his face into the pillow under his head.

"Hey." She responded, smoothing her hand over his back. "You know, you're pretty cute when you're holding a baby."

"Good thing I'm surrounded by them." He chuckled, lifting up his head, yawning quietly.

"I have a confession, but you can't tell Lucas." She said, tugging on his shirt softly. "Promise?"

He chuckled, rubbing his eyes, shifting from his stomach to his side, looking up at her. "Promise." He responded, propping his head up, gently rubbing his hand over her leg.

"I think you're cooler than him." She said, laughing quietly. "But you can't tell him."

"You're such a dork." He responded, rolling his eyes an laughing. "You're perfect, amazing, beautiful, and a number of other things, but you're also a dork."

"I take pride in it." She said, resting her hand on his, squeezing it softly.

"Speaking of dork... When is your super hero alter ego going to make an appearance?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"Hm... Never. Let it go." She laughed, shaking her head. "Of course you would bring that up, though. Since you have a newfound crush." She said, looking down at his hand.

"Stop it." He groaned, rolling his eyes. "I only have a crush on one person. And that's you." He said, kissing her hand. "In fact, I'm in love with you. You remind me a lot of a superhero. You're brave, kind hearted, and always put others ahead of yourself. Not to mention, you look sexy in the outfit."

Haley laughed, pushing him softly. "I don't like it when you make fun of me." She said, looking down at him.

"I would never." He responded, leaning over and kissing her stomach. "Hey little baby. Tell mom it's time for bed." He said, looking up at Haley and winking.

Haley smiled at him, scooting down the bed and laying down. "Alright, alright. I love you."

He hummed, leaning over and kissing her cheek. "I love you too, baby. I've never loved anyone in my life the way I love you."


	58. Chapter 58

**I don't own One Tree Hill.**

 **This is mostly because I love, love, love hormonal Haley. I think that those are some of the funniest scenes. I really do like this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy.**

 **Chapter 58**

Nathan let out a deep breath as he heard his wife calling his name, shaking his head from his spot on the couch, pretending like he didn't hear her, adjusting the controller in his hands and staring up at the TV.

Haley stepped down the stairs, glaring at him and crossing her arms. "I know you can hear me, Nathan Scott." She grumbled to him, shaking her head. "We're going on a walk."

"What? Why?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows, pausing the game when she moved to stand in front of the TV.

"Because I'm a week overdue and I'm tired of being pregnant." She snapped, letting out a deep breath. "And since it's your fault, you have to come with me. I've been looking up ways to get this show on the road online, and we're going to try them." She said simply.

He let out a deep sigh, laying back against the couch. He knew that she sent the kids away today. It was a little odd that they'd both been gone when he woke up this morning. She said they wanted to go hang out with their friends, but there was something off about it. Chase had taken Chuck on a camping trip, and that was who Jamie usually hung out with, and he'd invited Nathan and Jamie to come along, which Haley had declined before Nathan had the chance to speak. Not that he would have gone anyways, because Haley was a week over due. He knew that Haley wouldn't willingly let Jamie hang out with Madison alone, so something had to be going on. But she was driving him a little crazy, no matter how much he loved her. When a sentence has the words 'I've been looking online' in it, it's most likely not going to be good.

"They're inducing you on Friday, Hales. That's three days away." He grumbled, shaking his head.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had a child inside you constantly kicking you and waking you up every twenty minutes during the night." She said, shaking her head. "You're coming with me. Then we're going to try a bunch of different foods, and do a few other things. If all else fails, we're going to try having sex." She said simply, clapping her hands. "Come on. Get dressed. It's ten o'clock in the morning."

"If sex is your master plan, then couldn't we just have sex first and get this over with?" He asked her, before squeezing his eyes shut and letting out a deep breath. Wow, what a great thing to say to his nine month pregnant wife.

"When you say things like that, it really makes me want to rip my clothes off and throw myself at you." She said sarcastically, letting out a deep breath. "Get dressed. I'm giving you five minutes, before I yank you outside as you are. Whether you're wearing clothes or not." She grumbled, taking a seat on the couch and letting out a deep breath.

Nathan carefully took her hand for a brief moment, kissing her head. "I'll be ready in four minutes." He assured her, standing up slowly. He let out a small sigh, turning around and kneeling down in front of her, taking her hands in his. "Breathe, baby. It's all going to be okay." He assured her, standing up and kissing her forehead. Despite the fact that her mood swings had been out of control, mostly shifting between being angry, and crying, he wanted to assure her that he was there and that it would be fine.

Haley nodded slowly, mouthing 'I love you' to him. She watched him hurry up the stairs, letting out a deep breath. She was well aware of how she was behaving. Brooke had told her plainly that she was being a bitch when she was at their house a few days prior. There was something about being a week overdue that made her not care. She had not gone over with Jamie, or with Lydia. She just wanted to have their baby. And the best time would be today, since she kicked the kids out of the house and spent all morning researching.

As promised, Nathan returned down the stairs a short while later, pulling Haley up to her feet.

"Alright. Where do you want to walk?" He asked, running his hand through his hair, raising his eyebrows.

"Just around for a little while." She said, letting out a deep breath. "Go get the dog, we can take him too."

"Eventually, you are going to have to stop referring to him as 'the dog.' I think it hurts his feelings." He joked, kissing her head.

Haley looked at him with a completely unamused expression, shaking her head. "Just go get him."

He let out a deep breath, rubbing his neck and heading outside. He walked past their pool, down to the yard, grinning at the dog that ran up to him. Haley still had not warmed up to him, despite the fact that Max was her idea in the first place.

"Come on, buddy. Let's get you inside quick before Haley gets even more mad." He chuckled, leading him inside, attaching a leash to the collar around his neck.

He looked at Haley, smiling at her. "Alright. Let's get going." He said, following her outside.

They walked in silence for awhile, both watching Max as he sniffed unfamiliar objects.

"I'm, uh, sorry." Nathan said after a minute, kissing Haley's head. "About the sex thing. I didn't mean it like that."

Haley looked at him, linking her arm through his. "I'm grumpy." She said, resting her head against his arm. "I just want to have this baby now." She groaned, pulling him to a stop and wrapping her arms around him, bursting into tears.

He blinked in surprise, wrapping one arm around her while the other held onto the leash. "Hales..." He said, kissing the top of her head. "It's alright. Relax." He said, chuckling quietly.

"Don't laugh, Nathan. You don't know." Haley said, letting out a deep breath, shaking her head.

"I'm not laughing, I swear." He said quickly, looking down at her. "It's only three days. You've lasted nine months." He said, pulling her closer to him when she started to pull away. "Look, we'll do the things on your list. Together. Calm down."

"Okay. But stop telling me to calm down." She said, letting out a deep breath and beginning to walk again, leaving him standing there.

He looked at her, smiling slightly and hurrying to catch up with her, easily matching her pace. "I love you?" He attempted.

She looked at him, rolling her eyes and smiling. "You better." She said, grabbing onto his free hand. "I love you too." She responded quietly.

They walked around for awhile longer with no such luck, before heading back home.

Haley let out a deep breath, sitting down at the kitchen counter and pressing her face into her hands. "Both Lydia and Jamie were a little early. Why couldn't this baby come early? Or at least on time? We'd have at least a week old baby by now." She grumbled, shaking her head.

Nathan grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, setting it in front of her and letting Max off the leash, scratching behind his ears for a brief second, before sitting down next to his wife, watching her quietly.

"I heard that spicy food can help." He said, clearing his throat, rubbing his hand over her back lightly. "I know you aren't the biggest fan of spicy things... But maybe?"

She leaned forward, letting him massage her back for a few minutes, staying silent.

"Alright." She finally agreed, letting out a deep breath and running her fingers through her hair.

"Hales, stop stressing, alright? Everything is going to be fine. Worst-case scenario, we wait three more days." He said, squeezing her shoulder softly and standing up. "What do you want me to put hot sauce in? Whatever you eat, I'll eat too. Eggs?"

"No." She said quickly, shaking her head.

"Hard pass on the eggs. Got it." He chuckled, shrugging. "Hash browns? It still is breakfast time." He pointed out, walking over to the fridge and pulling it open. "I guess that doesn't really matter in this house anymore."

"There are not set in stone rules, Nathan. I can eat whatever I want for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You always seem to freak out in excitement whenever I make pancakes for dinner." She grumbled, shaking her head.

"Baby, I'm just messing with you." He said, letting out a deep breath. He should've learned his lesson by now and stopped teasing her, because every time she got annoyed at him.

"I know what you'll like. Mac and Cheese with hot sauce in it." He said, smirking. "I'll make you some. And no box Mac and cheese for my girl, because she deserves the best." He hummed, leaning over the counter and tapping her nose. "Maybe you could go try something else while I whip this up for you? What other foods help?"

"I read something about banana and pineapple. But please, Nathan. Don't mix it in." She said, smiling slightly at him, grabbing onto his hand.

"Very funny. Chef Nathan is on it." He hummed, winking at her. "Let me go get my kiss the cook apron on."

"I don't think it's necessary." Haley said, standing up slowly and walking around the counter, pulling him into a slow kiss.

"Thank you. For doing this with me. I'm apologizing in advance for the things I do and say to you until Friday." She said, pecking his lips once more. "I think I'm going to go try yoga."

"Don't you want me there to help you with that one?" He asked her, smirking slightly.

Haley kinked one eyebrow, looking him over. "I think I'm alright for now, I'll let you know." She said, giving him a playful slap on the ass, before heading up the stairs.

He let out a low whistle, watching her walk away and shaking his head. Maybe she'd stay in a good mood as long as he constantly offered to do things for her.

Once the food was done, it didn't take Haley long to come back downstairs. She looked miserable, and Nathan really did feel bad for her. He understood to an extent, he was a little anxious for their baby to be born too. Nine months was long enough to wait, and this extra time was awful.

"How did your brief yoga session go?" He questioned her, pulling some Tabasco sauce out of the fridge, setting it in front of her.

"Well, I didn't go into labor." Haley sighed, massaging her temples. "The majority of the time, I don't mind being pregnant, Nathan. It's an amazing feeling to have life inside of you. But right now... I'm not feeling like a huge fan of it." She said, closing her eyes.

He stepped behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Well, you look beautiful." He said softly, kissing the top of her head, wrapping his arms around her neck from behind, pulling her back against his chest.

"Don't use lines on me, Nathan Scott. We've been married for fifteen years, you don't need to do that anymore." She grumbled, letting out a deep breath.

Nathan rolled his eyes, "I don't have lines. I only speak the truth." He replied, rubbing his fingers over her arms. "Eat up. It's delicious. Possibly better than yours." He said, smirking at her, reaching over and grabbing the hot sauce, putting a little bit on her food.

"You think that small amount is going to get this baby out of me?" She asked, shaking her head. "No, this baby is going to be just like you, I can already tell. I'm going to need a lot more if this is going to work."

"A lot like me?" He laughed, raising his eyebrows. "And Haley, you don't like spicy food. I don't want you to throw up or anything."

"Stubborn." She grumbled, letting out a deep sigh. "Give me just a little more, please." She said, watching him do as she asked.

Nathan took a seat next to her, beginning to eat slowly, watching her for a moment, before focusing on his food.

After a moment of silence, Haley spoke up.

"So, I read that the best way for us to have sex is me in front of you, and you coming at me from behind. Or me on my back like on the end of the bed, and you-"

Nathan cut her off, choking on the drink he was drinking. "Haley." He coughed, looking at her. "What are you talking about?"

"What, Nathan? I told you that we're going to have sex." She said, shaking her head. "Sperm helps soften the cervix, which can help prepare it for labor."

"These words that you're saying- they aren't sexy." He said, shaking his head and rubbing his hand down his face.

"Nathan, you're an adult. You've had two kids. You've had sex countless times. It's not like these words are new to you." Haley said, shaking her head. "Anyways, I also read that nipple stimulation can help, so you might want to start there too."

"Haley." He began, his voice cracking. He loved his wife, but in all honesty... This conversation was freaking him out a little bit, though it shouldn't.

"What, Nathan? You started this by not being able to keep your hands to yourself, and now you're too scared to finish it?" She asked him, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

Nathan's jaw dropped slightly, shifting in his seat. "No, no. Of course not." He said, clearing his throat. "I just- I mean- I... You want to do it doggy style?"

"I hate when you call it that." She said, running her fingers through her hair, looking down at her food. "Look, Nathan. I'm not feeling particularly sexy right now, and I'm not in the mood, but I want to have this baby. Today."

Nathan's gaze softened, letting out a deep breath, grabbing her hand and giving it a soft squeeze. "Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it." He said, nodding at her. "And by the way, you're so sexy, so don't ever doubt it."

Haley let out a deep breath, giving his hand a soft squeeze. "Sorry." She said, shrugging slightly. "I didn't mean to shock you like that. But... You are a grown man, you know that right?"

"You caught me off guard." He protested, shaking his head quickly. "That is not the way to get me turned on."

"I don't want to do it right now, Nathan." She said, shaking her head. "I was preparing you for later. If the rest of my plans don't work out."

He blinked at her, "I don't need to be prepared, Haley." He responded, letting out a deep breath. "I'm sorry. You're right. You're always right."

She set her fork down, shaking her head. "This isn't going to work." She groaned, rubbing her neck.

"Maybe it takes time." He pointed out, rubbing his hand over her stomach lightly.

"I'm tired of things taking time, Nathan." She said, shaking her head. "I know that sounds stupid, but I never want to wait for anything ever again."

"You sound a lot like Lydia right now." He chuckled, shutting up immediately at the glare Haley sent him. He needed to stop making jokes immediately. Haley was not having it, at all.

"We could go play basketball?" He suggested, raising his eyebrows. "I mean, doesn't exercise help?"

"How much of your day do you spend thinking about basketball?" She asked him, shaking her head. "Seriously."

"Alright, sorry. It was just a suggestion." He said, letting out a small sigh. "What do you want to try then?"

"Maybe I'm going to go try yoga for a little bit longer, you can go do whatever the hell you want. Then we're going to go do some light swimming." She said, standing up slowly.

"Hales, maybe we should just wait three more days." He said, shrugging slightly, resting his hand on her arm.

"No." She said simply, setting her plate in the sink and heading up the stairs.

He raised his eyebrows, laughing quietly. He really did feel bad for her. So far, this had been the hardest pregnancy for her, and the fact that she was overdue wasn't making things any easier. She had tried so hard to stay positive, but her patience was wearing thin. Her back was constantly aching, her feet hurt, and it seemed like she was never actually comfortable. His stupidity was not helping her at all.

He shook his head, beginning to clean up the mess he'd made. His poor wife. He really needed to learn to just keep the words that popped into his head, in his head. He let out a small sigh, pulling out his phone, beginning to do some research of his own.

He stepped into their work out room a while later, watching her. He blinked in confusion, taking a seat on the birthing ball off to the side, setting the teacup in his hand on his bench press, bouncing up and down a bit. She was crawling around the ground on all fours.

He cleared his throat, "What are you doing?" He questioned her, running his fingers through his hair.

Haley looked at him quickly, letting out a deep breath. "I don't know. It's supposed to help." She groaned, shaking her head. "You weren't supposed to see this." She said, sighing softly.

He smiled at her, shrugging slightly. "Hell of a view." He said, winking at her. "You should try this thing out." He said, standing up and picking up the ball.

"I already tried that." She said, closing her eyes and letting her head hang down, biting down on her lip.

"Do you need help up?" He asked her, hurrying over to her, helping her up to her feet.

"Thank you." She said softly, letting out a deep breath. "I'm sweating, and I've barely done anything. If I ever let you get me pregnant again, we aren't going to let me be in the third trimester during the summer."

He chuckled quietly, kissing her forehead. "I made you some tea." He said, picking it up and holding it out to her. "Raspberry leaf. I don't know, I read something about it."

Haley nodded at him, taking it from him and letting out a sigh. "Thank you. Again." She said softly, resting her hand on her back.

"Sorry that nothing has been successful." He said, nodding at her. "Maybe swimming will help." He attempted, rubbing her shoulders softly.

"Nothing is going to help." She groaned, shaking her head and sitting down on the bench. "Now I'm just tired from almost no exercise."

"Come on, baby." He laughed, grabbing her hand. "Let's go. It's hot today, swimming might feel nice."

Haley nodded at him, squeezing his hand softly. "Just give me a second." She said, taking a long drink.

"Sorry, a hot drink probably isn't what you want." He said, sitting down on the ball again.

"No, Nathan. Thank you." She said, smiling at him. "It's great. You're great." She assured him.

"If it helps, you look great in yoga pants." He said, smirking at her, winking.

She rolled her eyes, laughing. "Thank you. For saying things like that. When I'm all swollen and look like a whale."

He shook his head quickly, "Stop it. There's nothing sexier than a woman who is willing to go through nine months of suffering just to have her kid end up being half of me." He chuckled, standing up again and kissing her softly. "Really, you don't look like a whale at all." He assured her.

"Thank you." She said, rubbing her hand over his cheek for a brief moment, standing up slowly. "Let me finish this quickly. Go change into your swimsuit."

xxxx

After about an hour, Haley gave up on being in the pool. She sat in one of the chairs by the pool, leaning back slightly, watching Nathan, who sat at the end of her chair, her legs across his lap while he rubbed her feet.

"Maybe you should try and scare this baby out of me." She said simply, letting out a deep breath and running her fingers through her wet hair.

He looked at her, raising his eyebrows. "Scare the baby out of you? How do you suppose I do that?" He chuckled, shaking his head.

"I don't know, sneak up on me when I'm doing something." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"We could watch the movie 'It.' That'd scare you." He said, watching her reaction.

Haley glared at him, poking his leg with her toe lightly. "Don't bring up clowns. That's off limits." She snapped, shivering slightly.

"You aren't scared of anything else, Hales. You're too tough." He said, smirking slightly. "I wish Chuck was home. I'd go borrow his clown mask."

"Nathan, stop it." She said, frowning at him.

"You know, they never figured out what the hell that whole clown thing was about last year." He said simply, shrugging.

"Knock it off right now." She said, kicking him lightly. "I'll kick you harder than this. I'll do it."

"Maybe it will resurface. Chuck told me he saw one in Tree Hill last year." He said, holding her legs down.

"Nathan! Stop it. This isn't going to work, I don't want to hear about it anymore." She said to him quickly, pressing her hands into her face.

"Alright, alright. I'm done. I don't believe any of the bullshit that comes out of that kid's mouth anyways." He chuckled, looking at her and smiling. "You clung to me at nights. I would have to pry you off of me in the morning if I woke up before you." He said, shrugging.

"That was horrifying, Nathan." She said, letting out a deep breath. "I was terrified." She grumbled, laying her head back.

"It's a good thing I'm here to protect you." Nathan assured her, rubbing his hand over her leg. "If I scare you, I promise it won't have anything to do with clowns." He said, massaging her calf lightly.

"Stop saying clown!" She snapped to him, sighing heavily.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He responded, nodding at her. "It won't happen again."

"It better not. Ever. I'm going to make you guard the door while I shower." She said, gripping the arm rest, closing her eyes.

"Alright, alright." He said, looking at her and smiling slightly. "So, school is starting up soon. Jamie is going to be in eighth grade." He said, shaking his head.

Haley looked at him, shaking her head quickly. "I don't like this conversation any better. I'm too young to have an eighth grader."

"That's what we get for having a kid when we were seventeen." He pointed out, laughing. "What were we thinking, Haley?"

"He wasn't planned." She responded, lifting her sunglasses up off her eyes. "We have a fourteen year old, a six year old, and a baby."

"Well, technically we won't have a baby for three more days." He reminded her.

"Keep digging yourself a deeper hole, Nathan. I dare you." She said, resting her hand on her stomach and letting out a deep breath.

"Did it feel nice to swim?" He asked her, laughing quietly.

"A hell of a lot better than it feels out here." She said, gesturing around.

"We could get back in?" He suggested, lightly tracing his finger across her shin.

"No." She said, letting out a deep sigh. "I think I'm just going to shower and take a nap." She grumbled, shrugging her shoulders.

He nodded at her, sighing softly. "I'm sorry none of this is working. Maybe we can try again in a little while?" He suggested.

"This was supposed to work." She groaned, tilting her head back and letting out a deep sigh. "This is probably predicting the future. This kid is going to defy us, hate us, and get emancipated at sixteen." She said, glaring at him. "Dammit, Nathan!"

"What did I do?" He laughed, raising his eyebrows.

"This is your fault. This baby is going to be a mini you! Emancipated, hating us, married at sixteen and having a baby on graduation." She cried, wiping at her eyes.

"Haley, stop it." He chuckled, shaking his head. "You can't possibly be certain of that based on this." He said, rubbing her leg softly. "Besides, if my parents didn't suck so much, I probably never would have done any of those things. And don't forget that I wouldn't have done any of that stuff, if you weren't there to help me."

She let out a deep breath, "This was supposed to work." She said again, holding out her hand to him. "Will you help me up?"

He stood up quickly, grabbing her hand. "I love you, Hales. Our baby is not going to do any of the things I did to my parents." He said, helping her up to her feet, hugging her tightly.

Haley let out a deep breath, pressing her face into his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Promise?" She mumbled against his skin.

Nathan rubbed her back lightly, smiling down at her. "I promise, baby." He said, "Now why don't you go shower? I'll stand guard at the door." He chuckled, kissing her forehead.

She nodded in response, picking up her towel and letting out a deep breath. "I can't wait to have some control over myself again." She said, looking at him. "I started crying while Lydia was watching Dora the Explorer last night because I felt bad for Swiper." She grumbled, shaking her head.

Nathan grinned at her, "Is it possible for a sentence to make me fall in love with you all over again?" He asked, kissing her cheek quickly.

"Very funny." She responded, grabbing onto his hand, pulling him into the house.

As promised, Nathan had sat on the bathroom counter outside of the the shower, chuckling quietly at the things his wife would occasionally say to him to make sure he was still sitting there.

As soon as she got out of the shower, Nathan got in, forcing her to stay in the bathroom just as she had made him.

He stepped out of the shower a couple minutes later, wrapping a towel around his waist, looking at Haley. All she was doing was putting on make up, and she looked miserable.

He let out a deep breath, standing there for a moment, trying to think of something that would make her happy. He rushed to her, turning her towards him.

Haley blinked in surprise, looking up at her husband. She rolled her eyes and broke into a smile when he started to sing "More Than Anyone" by Gavin DeGraw at the top of his lungs, swaying with her. She laughed quietly, setting her brush on the counter, resting her hands on his shoulders, closing her eyes and listening to him.

"You're a big cheese ball." She informed him once he finished, resting her hand on his cheek, shaking her head.

"I wanted to make you happy. You usually like when I make a fool out of myself by singing and dancing." He responded, winking at her.

"You do make me happy, Nathan." She assured him, pulling his face down and kissing him briefly. "You don't need to dance with me in just a towel to do that." She hummed, laughing. "But it did help. I got very lucky, you know. Not everyone gets to end up with a guy as amazing as you."

He smiled at her, kissing her forehead. "I like when you're smiling, rather than crying." He said, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "I guess as long as I leave Dora off the TV, you'll be good." He said, winking at her.

Haley laughed, rolling her eyes again. "You're so, so funny." She said, reaching down and grabbing his towel, tugging on it.

His hand quickly shot down to stop her from yanking his towel away, a smirk on his face. "Swiper no swiping." He said, before bursting into laughter.

She looked at him, smacking his stomach softly. "I take it back, you annoy me." She chuckled, kissing his shoulder briefly. "Go get dressed. You got my robe all wet." She laughed, smiling at him.

"That was a good one, Hales. Admit it." He said, nodding at her. "It was funny. Sometimes my dad jokes are funny."

"I won't agree or disagree with that because I do not want to encourage you to tell dad jokes." She said, shaking her head.

"Admit it." He said, resting his hands on her waist, pulling her close to him.

"You think you're very funny and that's all that matters." She said, shrugging.

"Okay, but that... That was funny." He said, smirking at her. "I know I'm funny. I'm not going to leave until you tell me I'm funny."

"Who says I want you to leave?" She asked, kinking one eyebrow at him.

He laughed, kissing her forehead. "I could do what Lydia used to do, and make you tell me I'm funny or I'll start screaming. I won't stop." He said, looking down at her.

"Alright, alright. You're funny." Haley laughed, pinching his cheek. "Go some clothes on."

He nodded at her, kissing her once more before heading out of the bathroom, stopping in the doorway and looking at her. "Did singing and dancing at least cheer you up a little bit?"

She looked over at him, smiling. "Despite what I may have said to you in the past, and for the next week, being around you cheers me up, Nathan." She said, nodding at him. "So don't hold me accountable for anything I say after this." She laughed, winking at him.

Nathan laughed, nodding at her. "Noted." He responded, before disappearing into their room.

xxxx

The two of them slept on and off until around dinner time, trying a few more things on Haley's list, before finally ordering Chinese take out for dinner.

"This was supposed to help too. Chinese food was supposed to help, swimming was supposed to help, all the other stuff we've done was supposed to help." Haley grumbled, leaning back in her chair and letting out a deep breath. "Dammit, why is nothing working?"

"It's just not time yet, Hales." Nathan assured her, rubbing her back softly. "Maybe we should just go to bed. We can go for another walk tomorrow morning before we pick up the kids."

"It's seven o'clock, Nathan. We just slept for several hours and you want to go back to bed?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows and letting out a deep breath.

He shrugged slightly, leaning over and kissing her head. "Where did you send the kids off to anyways?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"Brooke's." She grumbled, resting her elbows on the counter, rubbing her temples lightly.

"We should've sent Jamie off with Chuck and Chase. He probably would've had fun." He said, resting his hand on her stomach.

"Well, we thought maybe I would have this baby soon. But maybe I'll just be pregnant forever." She mumbled in response.

"Stop it." He said, rubbing her stomach lightly. "Think, since today is almost over, you only have two more days left."

She looked at him, sucking in a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "I guess you're right." She mumbled.

"Fortune cookies might cheer you up?" He said, smirking at her, and opening one up, handing it to her.

Haley laughed, shaking her head. "You enjoy this whole fortune cookie thing too much."

"It's funny." He pointed out, nodding at her. "I'll go first." He hummed, breaking open a cookie, briefly reading over it before looking up at her and smirking. "Your ability to juggle many tasks will take you far. In bed." He said, winking at her.

She smiled at him, rolling her eyes. "Interesting." She responded, breaking open her cookie, reading the fortune inside and laughing. "It's good, but it could be better." She read, before looking at him. "In bed."

He groaned, shaking his head. "Why do I feel like that always happens to me?" He said, chuckling.

She laughed, rubbing his arm lightly. "Sorry, honey." She said, kissing his cheek.

"It's not true. I'm the best." He said simply, shrugging.

She nodded at him, "I know, I know." She said, squeezing his bicep.

"Good." He chuckled, leaning back in his chair and running his hand through his hair. "You're the best too."

She laughed, rolling her eyes. "Why, thank you." She hummed, setting her fortune down on the counter, letting out a deep breath.

Nathan looked over at her, letting out a small sigh. "I wish that there was something I could do for you, Hales." He said, rubbing her shoulder softly. "I'm really sorry none of this has worked."

She nodded at him, shrugging slightly. "I'm grateful that you've done all this stuff with me." She said softly, running her fingers through her hair.

"Well I could prove to you for the millionth time that I'm still the best, and we could have sex." He suggested, shrugging.

Haley looked at him, "I don't think I'm really in the mood right now." She sighed, rubbing her neck.

He nodded at her, leaning over and kissing her cheek. "I could give you a back massage?" He said, raising his eyebrows. "I don't know how comfortable it will be since you'll be, y'know, sitting up. But we could try it?"

Haley let out a deep breath, nodding. "That sounds nice, actually." She said, standing up slowly, beginning to clean up.

"Let me clean. You can go upstairs and relax." He said, taking the take out boxes from her, setting them in the fridge quickly. "Really, there's not much to do. I'll go up soon." He hummed, turning her towards the stairs.

After spending a good ten minutes smelling all of the different scents of lotion they had, Nathan finally ended up sitting behind her in their bed, with Haley in between his legs.

"What do you think is in this stuff? How do they make lotion?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows and smelling the lotion in his hand. When he looked back up, his mouth went dry at the sight of her. His eyes gazed over her back, a small smirk on his face, focusing on the tattoo on the small of her back.

"I don't know, Nathan." She chuckled, picking up one of the pillows off the bed, hugging it to her and resting her head on it, leaning forward slightly.

He traced his fingers over the number briefly, letting out a deep breath. "That is still one of the best things that's ever happened to me." He chuckled, leaning forward and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Mhm." Haley hummed, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath.

He chuckled, smelling his hand again, before rubbing his hands together, beginning to rub the lotion into her back. "I think it has coconut in it." He said, shrugging slightly. "It smells good though."

"Yep." Haley responded, shaking her head and chuckling quietly.

"Do they just... Mash up a bunch of fruits and put it in glue or something like that?" He questioned her, looking down at her back.

"I have no idea, Nathan. But I seriously doubt that's the way they do it." She laughed, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"You're supposed to know everything, Haley. That's why this marriage works. I ask questions, you give me the answers." He said, kissing the back of her head.

"You're right. I'm sorry, I'll look into it." She said, rolling her eyes and smiling slightly, hugging the pillow tighter to her, resting her head on it again.

"Thank you." He hummed, kneading his hands into her lower back, smiling slightly. "You've got a sexy back, Haley James."

She arched her back a bit, letting out a deep breath and shaking her head. "Thanks, baby." She said softly, biting down on her bottom lip.

"I suppose I owe you a real massage once you have the baby, yeah?" He said, humming quietly. "I have magical hands, don't I?"

"If you have such magic hands, why am I always giving you a massage?" She laughed, shaking her head.

"Because I got thrown through a window." He responded, smirking slightly. "Damn, I'm a badass."

"Oh, shut up, Nathan." She laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Not as badass as you though, don't worry." He chuckled, pressing a kiss to the crook of her neck.

"I'm not a badass, Nathan." She said, shaking her head and letting out a small sigh.

"That's not true." He laughed, wrapping his arms around her for a moment, pulling her close to him. "You most definitely are a badass. The sexiest badass in the whole world."

She let out a small sigh, leaning back into him briefly, closing her eyes. "I feel like we wasted this day away."

"We got to spend some time together?" He pointed out, kissing her head. "That's never a waste for me."

"You always say the right things." She said softly, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath.

He laughed quietly, brushing his fingers tips up and down her arm. "You're kidding me, right?"

She blinked, looking back at him and frowning. "Why would I be kidding?"

"Baby, I've been saying the wrong things all day." He chuckled, pushing her off his chest a bit, beginning to rub her back again.

"You've just been trying to make me laugh, for the most part." She said, sighing softly. "I just wish my emotions weren't everywhere. Then maybe I could laugh at some of the things you've said."

"I think that you're perfect regardless of the way you respond to the comments I make because I think I'm hilarious but no one else seems to agree." He said, smiling slightly.

"I'm far from perfect." She said, shaking her head.

"I think you're perfect." He responded, kissing her shoulder. "I think that you're the most amazing person on earth, and I know that I'd be so lost without you."

"You're still such a charmer." Haley responded, closing her eyes and smiling slightly. "It's not because I'm half naked, is it?" She teased him, chuckling.

He laughed, rolling his eyes. "Damn, you're on to me." He said, looking down at her back. "No, it's not. It's because I'm in love with you, Haley James Scott. And if you haven't figured it out by now, there's not a single soul on this earth I'd rather spend my day doing ridiculous things with. Not to mention you're the only person I'd ever sing and dance for in a towel." He hummed, tracing his finger down her spine.

Haley could feel her emotions skyrocketing at Nathan's words, tears welling in her eyes. He was one of a kind, really. An extremely special guy, that loved her unconditionally. Damn him for loving her so much. Tears were streaming out of her eyes, pressing her face into the pillow, most definitely leaving mascara stains.

"Are you crying?" He asked her quietly, frowning and letting his hands knead into her back just above the waistband of her pants.

"I can't handle it when you say sweet things to me." She said, pressing her face further into the pillow.

He blinked at her, smiling slightly. "I'm sorry." He chuckled, "I won't talk anymore, because I only have nice things to say about you."

Haley lifted up her head, looking back at him and wiping at her cheeks, letting out a deep breath. "I love you too, Nathan. I'm sorry I've been so mean today."

Nathan forced himself not to laugh and the mascara rubbed around on her face, instead removing his hand from her long enough to attempt to wipe it free. "You haven't been mean, baby."

"I don't even know why I put on make up. We pretty much just slept the day away after we got out of the pool." She grumbled, shaking her head. "You made me wait for you outside of the shower and I got bored."

"I didn't get bored because I like to listen to you sing in the shower." He hummed, smiling at her. "I wish you'd release another album already."

"I just did, Nathan." She chuckled, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

"I know, but your music is so amazing. It helps me in so many ways." He informed her, nuzzling his nose against her head. "When I'm having a bad day, I like to listen to it because it reminds me of how lucky I am, and of how many great things I have in this world." He said, sliding his and beneath the pillow, letting his arms wrap around her, pressing his palm to her stomach. He rested his chin on her shoulder, looking down at the pillow she was hugging, before glancing back at the bed. "That's my pillow. You got mascara all over my pillow." He teased her, pinning a frown to his face. "Oh wait, I don't even sleep in here every night anymore. I guess all of these pillows are yours."

"Nathan, you're like a heater." She groaned, rolling her eyes. "You love to cuddle, and as much as I love it, I get so hot." She responded, shaking her head. "It was one night. I apologized a thousand times."

"I woke up to you stripping, then telling me to get out." He laughed, smirking slightly. "I was so confused, Haley."

"I already said that I was sorry." She defended herself, sighing softly. "Let it go, it's been weeks."

"In our fifteen years of marriage... I've never had you kick me out of bed because I was too hot." He said, laughing quietly.

"I didn't kick you out because of how hot you are, I kicked you out because of how warm you are." She responded, resting her hand on his leg, curling her fingers under the pant leg of his shorts, gripping the end lightly.

He chuckled, shaking his head and kissing her shoulder softly. "I forgive you. And I will be taking all of this into consideration the next time I get you pregnant."

Haley scoffed, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "If I let you."

"You've never let me before." He responded, smirking slightly. "Like you said, I'm quite the charmer." He hummed, rubbing his hand up her side lightly. "As much as I love getting massages from you, I might like this more because I love having my hands all over you."

She rolled her eyes, falling back into his chest again, resting her head back against his shoulder, letting out a deep breath. "It's not like you don't already have your hands all over me anyways."

He laughed, looking down at her. "Very true." He responded, hugging her against him, letting out a deep breath. "I just find you irresistible."

She rubbed her hand up and down his leg lightly, humming softly. "I kind of like having my hands all over you too."

"Glad we could come to that mutual agreement." He laughed, kissing her head softly.

She smiled, glancing up at him, raising her hand up to rest on his face, gently brushing her thumb over the stubble on his jaw.

"On the downside, once the baby is born, you and I are both going to start traveling again." He pointed out. "Not right after, but you know what I mean."

"Where the hell will I be going?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Babe, you have to go on tour again. You love it, your fans love it." He reminded her. "Eventually. You can wait as long as you need, but you're going to."

"Mm, I don't have to leave my babies if I don't want to." She groaned, shaking her head.

"I could handle being a single dad for six weeks, eight weeks, whatever you need." He said, kissing her head.

"We don't need to talk about this right now. It's going to get me worked up." She said, letting out a deep sigh.

He smiled at her, brushing his fingertips along her side. "Alright. I won't bring it up until after we're all settled." He assured her. "You do really suck at letting me give you a massage though. You keep laying back against me."

"You're comfy. And you smell nice." She said, sitting up again. "Thank you for doing this, though."

"Of course, babe." He said, sliding his hands down her back, letting out a deep breath.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, the only talking was Nathan asking if she was alright, and then Haley's hum of approval.

The atmosphere shifted around them as soon as Nathan started to kiss down her neck. Haley's grip on the pillow tightened, and her eyes shut tighter.

"What are you doing?" She asked him quietly.

He kissed along the back of her shoulder, smiling slightly. "I just had to know what this lotion tasted like. Not very good if you ask me." He said, chuckling.

She rolled her eyes, smiling slightly. "Anyone could have told you that." She responded, letting out a deep breath.

Nathan kisses along her other shoulder, tilting his head to the side. "I just had to know for myself. You see, this shoulder tasted better." He hummed, pulling her closer to him. His fingers found their way back to her tattoo, his mouth making it's way up her neck again.

Haley let out a deep breath, nodding at him slowly. "Oh, did it?"

"Yeah, but that was probably more you than the lotion." He said, smirking slightly, gently biting down on her earlobe.

"Mm..." She hummed, resting her hand on his leg, gripping his basketball shorts tightly.

"I just want to apologize again for the comment I made earlier." He said softly against her skin. "I don't ever think of having sex with you, followed by the thought 'well, let's get this over with.' It was inconsiderate, and I shouldn't have said it." He said softly, leaning his head down and kissing along her upper back. "I just want to show you how much I care about you, and how much I always want you, Haley. Because I do love you so much. I'm sorry I've been irritable at you. I won't ever understand what you're going through, so it's not fair of me."

"I knew that you didn't mean it." She said softly, glancing over her shoulder at him. "I know how I've been acting. And I'm sorry for it." She said, nudging him softly and leaning back once again, resting her hand on his face and making him look at her. "I love you." She said softly.

Nathan smiled at her, resting his head on her forehead. "I love you too, beautiful." He whispered, nuzzling his nose against hers.

She lightly brushed her lips over his, shifting slightly, leaning further back into him. "You're amazing." She said softly.

"You said you weren't in the mood earlier, but do you want to prove your fortune wrong now?" He questioned her, a small smirk on his face.

Haley laughed, looking up at him. "I'll be the judge of that." She responded, pulling him into a deep kiss.

xxxx

"Well that didn't work." Haley grumbled, tugging the sheet tighter around her, looking at the clock and shaking her head.

"It didn't work several times." Nathan responded, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, hugging her close to him. "Several times."

"Stop." She said, resting her head on his chest, letting out a deep breath, smoothing out his hair.

"Maybe it takes awhile?" He laughed, kissing her head softly.

She sighed, looking at the clock again, closing her eyes. "I'm really going to have to wait until Friday, huh?"

"You might." He said, shrugging slightly. "But it could happen anytime now, baby."

"I don't know why, but I thought that would work." She grumbled, lightly scratching her fingernails along his stomach. "Maybe because it was the thing that I wanted to do the least."

He laughed, looking down at her. "I'll try not to take that to heart." He joked, nuzzling his nose into her hair.

"I didn't mean it like that, sorry." She said, shaking her head.

"I know what you meant." He said, grinning at her and shrugging slightly.

"I'm sure I won't be any better at keeping my mouth shut when the baby is born." She grumbled, leaning into him. "Maybe I'll be less crazy tomorrow."

Nathan nodded at her, "You aren't crazy. Despite my annoyance, I did have fun today. Being with you." He said, rubbing her arm lightly.

"I'm glad." She said, sighing softly. "I should have just let myself be with you instead of stressing about the baby."

"I know what will make you feel better." He said, smiling down at her. "Jamie told me this joke the other day, that I begged him not to tell you because I wanted to."

She raised her eyebrows, looking up at him. "Alright? What is it?" She asked him, blinking.

"Knock, knock." He said, smirking.

"Nathan." She groaned, shaking her head. "No."

"Come on. Knock, knock."

"Who's there?"

"To?"

"To who?"

"No, to whom." He said, laughing and looking down at her.

Haley blinked up at him. "This is the man I've married. If I was in "The Office" right now, I'd be looking at a camera with a confused expression." She said, laughing and shaking her head.

"Come on. You love English jokes. That was funny." He said, kissing her forehead.

"I think it's time for you to go to bed, buddy. But you have to get dressed." She said, patting his chest and laughing.

"What? Why?" He frowned, looking at her. "No kids."

"If I go into labor during the night, I need you to be ready." She said, running her fingers through his hair.

"Good point." He said, smiling down at her. "You didn't think my joke was funny?"

"Jamie already told me it." She chuckled, winking at him and sitting up slowly.

"Dammit." He grumbled, rubbing his hand down her back. "If I'm wearing more clothes, won't it be too warm for you?"

"I'm fine." She said, getting out of bed slowly, wrapping the sheet around herself, letting out a deep breath and beginning to dig through her clothing.

Nathan smiled, watching her and letting out a deep breath. "I'm the luckiest man in the world." He said softly, running his fingers through his hair, resting his head back against the pillow. "I have the most beautiful girl in the whole world right in front of me."

Haley looked over at him, shaking her head and rolling her eyes, beginning to get dressed.

"I hope you don't have this baby in the middle of the night. I need my beauty sleep. Not all of us just naturally look young and sexy. It's a process." He laughed, rubbing his hand along his jaw.

"Oh, shut up. If you shaved your beard, you could pull off eighteen again. Plus, don't say such terrible things." She said, laughing.

"I'm planning on shaving after you have the baby. I'm worried that if I do it before, you won't have sex with me anymore because you think I look ruggedly sexy with it." He said, winking at her.

"I think you look good no matter what, Nathan." She said, walking into the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed.

xxxx

Haley rested her hand on her stomach, wincing slightly and shaking Nathan, gripping onto his t-shirt tightly, sucking in a deep breath. She glanced over at the clock, letting it out slowly. 2:35 A.M.

"Nathan." She said, tugging on his shirt again until he started to shift, lifting up his head.

"Yeah, I'll move to the guest room. Give me a second." He grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"No. Five minutes apart, buddy. Let's get going." She said, biting down on her bottom lip.

Nathan shot up quickly, jumping out of bed. "It's time? To go to the hospital?" He questioned her, rushing over to the closer and pulling on his shoes quickly. He grabbed her shoes, hurrying back over to her, putting them on her. "Holy shit. It's time. Okay, let's get going."

Haley nodded at him, accepting his hand to help her up, letting out a deep breath. "Finally." She breathed out.

He rested her hand on her stomach for a brief second, before grabbing her hospital bag, slinging it over his shoulder. "Come on, chop chop, Hales." He said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, leading her down to the car as fast as he could.

"Just breathe." Nathan said, breathing in and out with her as they drove to the hospital, Haley's fingernails digging into his arm when she felt another contraction.

"Would you shut up? I know what I'm doing?" Haley snapped to him, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Did you sleep at all?" He questioned her, glancing over at her.

"Not for the last two hours, no." She grumbled, biting down on her bottom lip.

"We went to bed at eleven. You got like one hour of sleep." He stated, sighing softly.

"Wow, you must have been pulling some bullshit in high school because I had no idea you were good at math." She snapped to him, squeezing his arm, letting out a deep breath and the contraction passed. "Maybe just focus on the road, Nathan. If I need you to distract me, I'll tell you."

Nathan nodded in response, letting out a small sigh. "Alright. I love you." He said, keeping his gaze out the windshield.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Nathan quickly rushed to her door, pulling it open, wincing slightly as she cried out in pain. "Hey, hey." He said softly, grabbing onto her hand and looking at her. "In and out, in and out."

Haley nodded at him, squeezing his hand softly, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath. "I'm a little scared, Nathan." She admitted, blinking her eyes open and meeting his gaze.

He nodded at her, kissing her forehead quickly. "I know, baby. But you've done it before, an you've always done so great." He assured her, kissing her knuckles. "Let's go have a baby, okay?"

She took a second, before nodding and repeating it back to him.

"Let's go have a baby."


	59. Chapter 59

I do not own One Tree Hill

Bruinsfan2014, you actually nailed it. That had been my plan from the start!

I hate to say this, but I actually did have a difficult time writing this chapter. I rewrote it several times, trying to settle on a successful hospital scene but I was never satisfied with it, so I just skipped the hospital. I'm sorry!

Chapter 59

Screaming. Loud, loud screaming. That's what had already woken them up several times that night, fairly similar to every night for the past three weeks.

"It's your turn." Haley grumbled, shoving him lightly, letting out a deep breath.

"No." Nathan responded, scooting further away from her, pulling the comforter over his head. "I got up an hour ago."

"Well, I went through nine months of pregnancy and sixteen hours of labor." She responded, shaking her head.

"Sometime, you're going to have to stop using that excuse. I think tonight is the time." He muttered, letting out an exaggerated sigh.

"Will one of you just do it?" Lydia snapped, sitting up in between them, scowling. "I'm sleeping!"

Nathan sat up slowly, muttering under his breath. "Well, you don't have to stay in here." He ran his fingers through his hair, walking to the bassinet on the opposite side of the room.

"Nathan!" Haley scolded him, pulling Lydia closer to her, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, Lyds. I'm just grumpy." He said softly, looking down at the crying baby and letting out a deep breath. He reaching down, gently picking up their newborn son. He smiled slightly, cradling him close, bouncing him lightly in an attempt to ease his cries. "Shh, buddy. It's alright." He whispered, hugging him close. He glanced over his shoulder at Haley and Lydia, humming quietly.

Lydia had been less than thrilled upon finding out that their newest edition was a boy. But now... She didn't want to leave him. She'd climbed into bed with Nathan and Haley every night for a week when he first started crying, until two days ago, she just ended up starting the night in their bed.

Nathan let out a deep breath, walking over to the bed, nudging Haley lightly. "Will you hold him while I go get a bottle?"

She nodded slowly, blinking her eyes open after a second and sitting up. "I can-"

"He'll be fine with a bottle, you can rest." He cut her off quickly, pressing a light kiss to her forehead, rushing out of the room, heading down the stairs quickly.

Nathan found Jamie sitting at the kitchen counter, eating a bowl of cereal and playing a game on his phone. He glanced at the clock, raising his eyebrows. "Dude, what are you doing awake at three in the morning?"

Jamie looked over at him quickly, shrugging. "I couldn't sleep." He grumbled, sighing softly.

Nathan let out a small sigh, slinging his arm around his son's shoulders, nodding his head. "I'm sorry, Jame." He said softly.

"It's okay. It will stop eventually, right?" Jamie said, shrugging.

Nathan smiled slightly. Jamie had been thrilled to have a little brother, though he wouldn't be able to do much with him for awhile. But when he found out it was a boy, he started cheering. Thankfully there was still a couple weeks left of summer so their kids wouldn't have to start going to school on no sleep. Yet.

"I can take you to Chuck's house, if you'd prefer that." Nathan suggested, ruffling Jamie's hair. "I know it's hard."

Jamie shook his head, "Don't worry about it. I wouldn't get anymore sleep there than I do here." He joked, shrugging. "Tell mom not to get angry with me if she comes downstairs in the morning and I'm asleep on the couch and the TV is still on. It's quieter down here."

Nathan nodded, letting out a small sigh. "I'm sorry, Jamie." He said again, before hurrying to the fridge, searching through it and grabbing a bottle quickly from the fridge, nodding at his oldest child one last time, before running up the stairs, following the cries.

He stopped in the doorway for a brief moment, his eyes landing on Haley as she attempting to quiet their screaming son. She was the most beautiful woman ever, and he was so lucky that she loved him and their family so much. The scene brought tears to his eyes. Watching her with their children always warmed his heart. She was an amazing mother. After over fifteen years, he still loved her more and more every second of the day. She was his everything. She'd given him his whole world. And even with the annoyed look she was given him right now, he just wanted to hold her and thank her repeatedly for everything she'd done for him.

"Nathan, I get it. You love me, I'm beautiful, I'm your everything. Whatever is going through your mind right now, can you think about it while putting a bottle in our son's mouth?" Haley said, smiling slightly at him. "Please." She added, patting their baby's back lightly.

He nodded quickly, laughing at how she seemed to know his every thought, before rushing over and taking him from Haley. He put the bottle in his mouth quickly, letting out a breath of relief as the crying stopped, sitting down on the opposite side of Lydia. "At least he'll take a cold bottle. Jamie wouldn't when he was this age."

Haley relaxed immediately, leaning back against the headboard and looking at Nathan. "This child never sleeps." She whispered.

Lydia sat up in between them, looking at her little brother and smiling. "He probably just missed me and wanted to see me." She said, shrugging.

"You." Haley began, poking her side. "Need to go back to sleep, or else you're going to need to go back to your own room."

Lydia sighed softly, looking up at her. "I'm not tired anymore." She said, shaking her head.

Haley looked over at Nathan, reaching behind Lydia and rubbing his shoulder lightly. "Yeah, I'm sure you're not." She said softly.

"Jamie is awake as well." Nathan said, clearing his throat. "Why don't you go downstairs with her and maybe put on a movie for the three of you and I'll stay with him?"

Haley shook her head, "I really don't think that's a good idea, Nathan. They need to be asleep. It's night."

"Please! Can we?" Lydia asked, quickly climbing out of the bed and grabbing onto Haley's hand, tugging softly.

Haley sighed, nodding slowly. "But tomorrow, you're in your own bed, and sleeping the whole night." She said, standing up and looking at Nathan. She grabbed her phone, handing Nathan his phone. "Text me if you need me. Please, don't yell for me. Ever again." She laughed, holding onto Lydia's hand lightly. "Thank you, Nathan."

"Nothing to thank me for, Hales. Just doing my fatherly duties." He chuckled, smiling at her and hugging his son close to him, shifting the bottle in his mouth.

Haley nodded slowly, letting out a deep breath and smiling at him, allowing Lydia to pull her out of the room slowly.

Nathan looked down, leaning back against the headboard. "Brian Lee Scott, you sure are killing me, kid."

xxxx

Nathan walked downstairs the next morning, sliding the baby monitor into his pocket, smiling at the sight in front of him.

Haley was sitting on the couch with Jamie and Lydia on either side of her, their heads rested on her, the TV still on, as well as the lights in the kitchen.

He chuckled quietly, leaning over and kissing Haley's forehead, humming softly. "Haley." He whispered, resting his hand on her leg, shaking it.

Haley lifted her head up, looking around quickly, before glancing back and forth between Jamie and Lydia, before finally making eye contact with her husband.

"Sorry, baby. I didn't know if I should wake you up it not. You can go back to sleep, if you'd like." He said, smiling at her, heading into the kitchen.

She shook her head slowly, shaking Jamie lightly. "Jamie, go on up to bed, sweetie." She said softly, kissing his head.

Jamie nodded, standing up after a second, rubbing his tired eyes and heading up the stairs quickly.

Haley supported Lydia with her hands, standing up slowly and guiding her so she was laying across the couch. She picked up the blanket that Jamie had been using off the ground, resting it on top of her, following Nathan into the kitchen. She let out a deep breath, wrapping her arms around him from behind, resting her head against his back.

Nathan glanced over his shoulder at her, smiling slightly. "I love you." He whispered, resting his hand on her arm briefly.

"How long were you awake?" She asked him, lightly scratching her fingernails over his stomach through his t-shirt.

"He's been down for... About forty minutes." He chuckled, shaking his head. "He wasn't crying, just wouldn't sleep."

"Go to bed, Nathan." Haley chuckled, closing her eyes.

"I'm fine." He responded, pouring himself some cereal. "He cries so much." He groaned, shaking his head.

"Are we doing something wrong?" Haley asked him quietly, letting out a deep breath.

He turned around slowly in her arms, looking down at her and shaking his head. "No." He sighed, kissing her forehead. "He's just... Different than our other children. They cried, but not this much."

She hugged him tighter, pressing her face into his shoulder. "This is a whole new level." She chuckled, rubbing his back lightly.

Nathan closed his eyes, hugging her close to him. "We're going to be fine. We don't need sleep." He chuckled, smiling down at her. "Don't worry, Haley James."

"I'm always worried." She responded, letting out a small sigh. "My siblings are coming next weekend. All of them."

"Yeah, I know. You told me." He chuckled, kissing her head.

"All of them. Can't they come see Skylar and Brian at separate times? Or not come here at all? I mean, Skylar is getting close to three months now. They should've seen him already. They wouldn't want to make more than one trip here in three months, so we'd be safe for a little while." She groaned, shaking her head.

"I'm hoping Taylor will bring some brownies." Nathan joked, smirking down at her.

Haley punched his arm softly, pulling away from him and shaking her head. "Not funny."

Nathan laughed, grabbing her hand and pulling her back into his embrace. "I'm just teasing you, baby."

Haley relaxed against him, closing her eyes tightly. "I don't want them to come." She said, biting her lip lightly.

Nathan rubbed his hand up and down her back soothingly, chuckling quietly. "It's going to be fine, Haley."

"I know, I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed." She said softly. "I look at Quinn or Megan and they seem to be doing a lot better than we are. I'm not used to people being more put together than me." She groaned, nudging her nose into the crook of his neck.

"Hey, look at me. I'm having just as hard of a time as you are." He reminded her, smiling down at her and kissing her forehead. "And they aren't doing as fantastic as you seem to think. You do remember Megan being so overwhelmed she came to our house and we watched Natalie for awhile. And Quinn has called you plenty of times. Everyone comes to us." He said, smiling at her. "And, you're much more put together than I am."

She rested her hands on his biceps, sighing softly. "I love you." She said, closing her eyes, kissing his shoulder lightly.

"I love you too, Haley James. Despite not sleeping a full night over the past three weeks, they've been amazing, and there's no one else I'd rather be doing it with." He chuckled to her.

Haley looked up at him, smiling slightly and standing on her toes, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing him softly.

He closed his eyes, tightening his arms around her. He pulled her as close to him as she could possibly get, letting out a small sigh as a quiet cry emitted from the baby monitor in his pocket.

"Bad timing." She laughed, pushing her fingers through Nathan's hair, pressing one more kiss to his pouted lips, before stepping away. "I'll do it, I don't want him to use a bottle too much." She said, brushing her fingers down Nathan's chest, turning and heading up the stairs.

Nathan ran his fingers through his hair, turning to his cereal and letting out a small sigh. They had their hands full with their newest child, that was for sure.

xxxx

Haley rocked Brian back and forth gently, patting his back and shushing him quietly. "It's okay, baby. It's okay." She whispered, leaning back and letting out a deep breath. She looked down at the small child in her arms, smiling slightly when he started to calm down. He was so precious. She wanted nothing more than to hold him close to her forever and protect him from the world. Despite all the crying, from both her and him, she wouldn't trade it for anything. Since Nathan was so persistent on having another child, he had been very helpful through it all. He could tell when she was feeling overwhelmed, and would quickly step in a swoop him out of her arms. It seemed like they were almost trying to re-figure all of this out. Jamie loved listening to Rap music when he was a baby, Lydia mostly just liked to be the center of attention constantly, but Brian... They had yet to figure out what would calm him down besides feeding him. There were small moments, like the one she was living at the moment, that he would stay calm and just stare up at her with his big brown eyes. She loved him so much. He was a part of her world. Nathan had suggested the name Brian to her late at night, when he was on the brink of sleep, falling asleep before she even had the chance to respond. But she knew, that if she was having a boy, Brian was definitely going to be his name. There wasn't a question in her mind. She went through sixteen hours of labor with him, and a difficult pregnancy, but he was instantly forgiven the second he was laid in her arms. He'd calmed down almost instantly at her touch, but unfortunately that was not the case any longer. She could handle staying up all night on tour, the rush of the crowd still ringing in her ears, or staying up all night with Nathan. But for some reason, when it was her son waking her up several times a night, she was exhausted. She felt very guilty that both Lydia and Jamie were being woken up just about every time as well, but there was not much they could do about it. She also felt bad that their time had been a little less than equally divided between their three kids. Even with the two of them, it was easier if both of their attention was on Brian. She let out a deep breath, closing her eyes for a brief moment. She'd just had him down for another short nap, before joining Nathan downstairs on the couch where he was watching Jamie play some video game, with Lydia on one side asking him a bunch of questions. He'd instantly slouched down so that he could lay his head on her shoulder, and was nearly out cold in seconds. Brian had stayed asleep for about twenty minutes before he'd had enough of it, and woken up crying. Nathan had moved to go get him, before Haley stroked his head softly, kissing his forehead and whispering to him that she would get him. Her poor husband was definitely feeling the pains of getting no sleep as well. Haley glanced down at Brian again, who was still looking up at her innocently, almost as if he expected her to believe that he had not been crying previously. A look of innocence that he definitely got from Nathan. She traced her finger down his cheek, a small smile playing at her lips. Haley gently smoothed out her son's hair. He was the first of their children to inherit Nathan's nearly black hair. It could still change, of course. But she hoped that it wouldn't.

Haley looked up when Jamie walked into the nursery, smiling slightly. Brian slept in their room for now, but she preferred to sit in the rocking chair of the nursery to calm him down.

"Hey Mom." Jamie said quietly, smiling at her. "Dad told me to tell you that he's taking me to Chuck's house and Lydia to Brooke's house." He said, looking down at his little brother.

She smiled up at him, resting her hand on his arm. "Jamie, I'm sorry." She said softly, letting out a deep breath.

He chuckled in response, wrapping his arm around his mother's shoulders. "Mom, don't worry about it." He said softly. "Really, it's not a big deal."

"You're a growing boy, James Lucas Scott. You need your sleep." She said, shaking her head. "I don't want you to be cranky."

He rolled his eyes, holding out his arms to take Brian from her. "I don't think I'll be cranky if it's for a good reason." He said, smiling at the baby that was set carefully into his arms. "Don't miss me too much, dude. I'll be back tomorrow."

Haley smiled brightly, looking at her sons. Jamie loved having a younger brother. He'd already mentioned things that he could teach him to do one day. One of her favorite things in the whole world was watching her kids interact with each other. She could feel herself nearing tears by how careful Jamie was with him, and by how much love she saw from her oldest child to her youngest child.

It wasn't long after that Lydia came bouncing in. "I'm going to Aunt Brooke's house!" She hummed to Haley, nodding at her. "Uncle Julian said he wants to make a movie of me! He promised that I could tackle Davis and Jude." She informed her, smiling proudly.

Haley smiled at her, grabbing her hand and pulling her over into a hug, kissing her forehead. "Well, you have fun, Lyds." She chuckled, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath. "Be good for them."

Lydia nodded at her, before turning to Jamie, pulling on his shirt. "Let me see him." She said, blinking up at him.

Jamie kneeled down slowly, holding Brian out a bit so Lydia could see. "You know, Lydia. I remember when you were this tiny." He said to her, nodding.

"You do?" Lydia asked, smiling down at Brian, sticking out her fingers and letting him hold into it.

"Yeah. It was so cool having a little sister around. Mom used to let me push the stroller around every once and awhile." He said, looking over at Lydia.

"I don't remember that." Lydia said, frowning slightly.

"That's because you were a baby." Jamie laughed, shaking his head.

Okay, the scene in front of Haley did actually cause some tears to escape out of her eyes. She wished so desperately that she had her phone with her right now so she could take a picture, because this was a perfect moment. The three of her children interacting with each other. Occasionally Jamie and Lydia would argue, but she'd been blessed with those two. They got along great. She hoped the same for Brian as well. Most of her world was sitting right in front of her. Three of the four pieces that completed her. She definitely loved their sweet family more than anything in the world.

Almost on cue, Nathan walked in, rubbing his neck lightly. "Okay guys, let's get going." He said, smiling at them.

Haley stood up, wrapping her arm around Jamie's shoulders, kissing the side of his head. "You better be careful with Chuck." She said, nodding at him. "And get a full night of sleep. I love you."

Jamie nodded at her, smiling. "I will, Mom. I love you too." He chuckled, rolling his eyes.

Haley shook her head, smacking the back of his head playfully. "Don't you roll your eyes at me." She laughed, kissing Lydia's head. "Bye baby. I love you. Have fun with Davis and Jude."

"I will!" Lydia hummed, kissing her cheek, turning and pressing a delicate kiss to Brian's head before turning and rushing away.

Haley moved to Nathan, wrapping her arms around his neck, standing on her toes. "You better come home quick." She laughed, kissing him briefly.

Nathan nodded at her, resting his hands on her waist. "Yes, dear." He chuckled, kissing her once more, walking over to Jamie and taking Brian out of his arms. "I'll see you soon, little man." He hummed, gently setting him back in Haley's arms. "Bye, baby." He said once more, kissing her forehead, resting his hand on Jamie's arm, before tugging him out of the room.

It wasn't too long after Nathan had left that Lucas and Peyton walked into the Scott home. Haley had been in the kitchen, cleaning up the mess that Lydia had made while eating lunch, Brian sitting in the swing quietly, trying to reach up and grab the plastic toys hanging above his head. She had not even noticed their arrival until they were sitting at the counter, watching her.

"Hey Hales." Lucas hummed, waving at her and smiling brightly.

"You two might just be my favorite people on earth." Haley responded, setting the washcloth in the sink. "I didn't even know you came in, that's how quiet you were being."

"Yeah, we didn't want to disturb the beast." Peyton chuckled, winking at her.

"And when we say that, we mean you. We watched you rip apart a FedEx guy last week for knocking on your door too loudly." Lucas teased her, shrugging slightly.

"Oh, shut up." Haley laughed, rolling her eyes and leaning against the counter. "I didn't even say anything to him. I wanted to, believe me." She said, shaking her head. "What can I help you guys with?"

"We were actually wondering if there was anything we could help you with." Peyton asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I think I'm alright." Haley chuckled, glancing over at Brian and letting out a deep breath. "Where's Sawyer?"

"We ditched Sawyer at Brooke's house and came here to help." Peyton hummed, smiling at her.

"Brooke is going to have her hands full. Nathan just left to drop Lydia off there." Haley informed them. "They can distract Davis and Jude so maybe Brooke can get some work done."

"Oh, you know Brooke will be right there playing with them, regardless of whether or not she had the intentions of getting her work done." Lucas chuckled, smiling at Haley. "How's everything going?"

Haley let out a deep breath, shrugging her shoulders. "It's alright. It all feels new again. If we have anymore kids, I don't think we can put big long gaps between them." She laughed, shaking her head.

Lucas stood up slowly, walking around the counter and resting his hands on Haley's shoulders, looking down at her. "Hales." He said softly, looking over when Brian started to fuss up.

Peyton jumped to her feet quickly, "I've got him." She said, smiling at the two, before hurrying over and picking up the youngest of the Scott Family, holding him close and heading out of the room.

Haley looked up at her best friend for so long, letting out a deep breath. "I'm alright, Luke. I am." She said softly, sending him a comforting smile.

"It's okay if you're not, Haley." Lucas said quickly, pressing a brief kiss to her forehead.

Haley rested her hands on Lucas' cheeks, making him look at her. "Lucas. I appreciate the concern, really. I promise you, I'm alright. I'm a little stressed, and tired. But I'm fine."

Lucas nodded at her slowly, before wrapping his arms tightly around her, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. "Alright, I believe you."

"I just wish that he would sleep a little bit more." Haley chuckled, resting her head on her brother-in-law's shoulder. "And I'm not drinking any caffeine because I don't want it to get into my breast milk and make this kid sleep even less than he already does. And I feel bad that he wakes up Jamie and Lydia every night, but I don't know what to do about it besides send them to someone else's house which I don't want to do. I mean I guess I could get them some noise canceling headphones or something like that but Lydia has been sleeping in our bed with us lately so I'm not sure it would even help. And I'm still hormonal and I nearly start crying anytime Nathan or the kids go near Brian because it's just the cutest thing I've ever seen, and Nathan is just being the biggest trooper because he does anything that I need him to." She mumbled, letting out a deep breath.

"Hales, you're rambling." Lucas laughed, rubbing her back. "To start, I never want to hear you talk about your breast milk again." He teased her, grabbing her fist when she punched his shoulder. "I'm just kidding, you dork." He hummed, looking down at her. "We can take your kids anytime you need. I know that you want them here, but if it's two in the morning, and they can't sleep here and they need it desperately, you can give us a call." He said, rubbing her shoulder lightly. "You and Nathan are super parents. I've seen it with my own eyes, okay? But even Superman has to take off his suit every once and awhile and just be Clark Kent. You guys make it look easy."

"It can't look very easy when I'm on the verge of tears." She said quietly, letting out a deep breath. "I really am okay, Lucas. I promise. Like I said, my hormones are all over the place still."

"I know that you're okay, Haley. I sort of know you fairly well." He chuckled, kissing her forehead. "On the bright side, it looks like Peyton caught the melt down before it happened, because I don't hear any crying."

"You guys need to have more kids." Haley informed him, hugging him once more, letting out a deep breath.

"What do you think we're going to work on since you don't need out help?" He chuckled, smirking slightly.

"By all means, don't let me stand in your way." Haley said, taking a step back and holding up her hands.

Lucas laughed, shaking his head and leaning against the counter. "I told Nate we were thinking about it, and you know what he does? Gets you pregnant." He chuckled, crossing his arms. "Always a competition with him, isn't it?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "He's a keeper." She hummed, rubbing her neck lightly.

"He's alright." He responded, smiling at her. "Your kid is huge, Hales. Three weeks, and he's huge."

"He was nine and a half pounds when he was born." Haley reminded him, shaking her head. "He's going to be tall, just like Nathan predicted. I can tell. So far he's been pretty spot on."

"I hope he's taller than Nathan so he can put him in his place on the basketball court." Lucas chuckled, shrugging.

"By the time he'll be taller than him, I probably won't let Nathan near a basketball court anymore because he can't help himself from showing off." Haley informed him, shaking her head. "As if I could ever do that."

Lucas laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, good luck." He chuckled, smiling at her. "So, I heard a rumor that the whole James Clan is coming down next week?"

"Don't remind me. I love my family, but not all of them at the same time." She joked, shaking her head. "I don't want them here when I'm getting no sleep. I think they're more here for Quinn, at least I'm hoping that, but they wanted to see both Brian and Skylar at once."

"I know I've already told you this... But the whole Brian thing, that's really cool." Lucas said, smiling at her. "It's a nice tribute to him. And Deb won't stop telling my mother how much she loves that you made his middle name Lee."

Haley nodded in response, "Yeah, she's been telling me too. And, well, Whitey, he's a huge reason we are where we are today." She said, smiling slightly. "Nathan had so much love and respect for him, it just felt like the right thing to do."

"Though I do think that the reason Brian cries so much is because Whitey is punishing Nathan for being a little shit to him all those years ago." He laughed, smirking slightly. "So maybe if you made Nathan take care of him every time he started crying, he'll have served his punishment and Brian will be an angel baby."

She laughed, rolling her eyes. "Good idea. Why don't you tell him?"

"I will." Lucas chuckled, smiling at her. "I love you, Hales. We really are here for you. If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask."

"You know, you don't need to worry about me, Luke. I really am fine. I think one Scott brother worrying about me constantly is all I can take." She laughed, smiling at him. "But I do appreciate the offer."

"I'm always worrying about you. You're my best friend." He said, kissing her head.

"Thank you. I love you." Haley hummed, smiling at him. "Really, the biggest reason I'm suffering is because I haven't had sex with Nathan in three weeks. And counting."

Lucas' head snapped to her, "Haley!" He groaned, shaking his head. "Really? Was that necessary?"

Haley laughed, slinging her arm around his shoulders. "I'm just kidding." She said, smirking at him. "It was funny though."

"You spend too much time with Nathan." Lucas grumbled, rolling his eyes.

She laughed, patting his shoulder. "When you've been married for fifteen years, you spend a lot of time together." She reminded him.

"You two are so old." He said, looking down at her.

"Don't remind me." She said, letting out a deep breath.

"You know, if Peyton and I have another baby, we'll need your help. Because Sawyer is almost ten." He laughed, running his fingers through his hair.

"Well, I'll be happy to help. Make it quick though, Scott. You're older than I am." She teased him, poking his stomach.

"You know what, you're right. Let me go say hello to my nephew, grab my wife, and get out of here." Lucas chuckled, kissing Haley's head once more. "I love you, Hales. I'll be right back. Maybe he's sleeping, and you can take a little nap?"

Haley smiled at him, nodding slowly. "If he's not asleep, bring him back down here. If he is, could you guys set him in the bassinet in our room? And grab the baby monitor, it should be on the bed."

"Of course." He responded, nodding at her. "If you decide that you need help while I'm gone, just let me know."

"I'm fine, Lucas." She laughed, nodding towards the stairs. "Go see my son. He's cute, I don't blame you for wanting to see him."

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. I'll be back." He said, hurrying up the stairs.

xxxx

"You know, when he's sleeping, you should seize the opportunity to sleep as well, instead of watching him." Nathan chuckled, stepping into the nursery and looking at Haley.

"I can't help it. I just like to look at him." Haley responded, smiling at him. "What took you so long?"

"Well..." Nathan began, setting the bag in one hand down, before removing his other arm from behind his back, holding out a small, homemade bouquet of the little purple flowers they liked so much. "I was on my way home, and the thought crossed my mind that it has been awhile since I brought you so flowers, or did anything remotely romantic for you." He said, kneeling down next to her chair.

She looked at him, her smile growing. "Thank you, Nathan." She said softly, tilting her head down, kissing him briefly. "You didn't have to do this."

"But I wanted to." He chuckled, resting his hand on her cheek and kissing her again. "And since flowers are basically useless, I also stopped at the store and bought some mint chocolate chip ice cream."

"You take my breath away." Haley said, smiling at him. "I love you so much." She said, nodding at him.

"I do what I can." He said, kissing her cheek and standing up again. "Now what else can I do to help you?"

"I'm perfect." She said, rocking Brian gently. "He's being calm, and I actually feel very relaxed."

"I'm glad." He said softly. "I'm going to go put the ice cream in the freezer. Do you want me to get you some?"

"I'm alright for now. But I am thinking of moving to our room, so meet me back in there." She hummed, standing up slowly, letting out a deep breath.

"Absolutely." He said, smiling at Brian. "You be good while I'm gone. I'll be gone for like a minute, but still, you never know with you." He chuckled, kissing Haley's cheek once more, picking up his bag and heading out of the room.

He found Haley in their room, lying on their bed with Brian next to her, looking up at her, his hand wrapped around her finger. He slid onto the bed on the opposite side of Brian, leaning back against the headboard, shoving a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

"Hey." Haley said, looking up at him and smiling slightly and sitting up carefully.

"Hot damn, you're the sexiest woman on earth." Nathan said, leaning over and kissing her cheek. "You're definitely a MILF."

She raised her eyebrows, shaking her head. "Nathan." She laughed, her cheeks tinting red. "Don't."

"I'm serious. You look great with a baby." He said, looking down at Brian and grinning.

Haley reached over, pulling the bowl of ice cream out of his hand. "I love you." She said, letting out a deep breath.

"You said you didn't want any!" He protested, shaking his head. "Haley." He groaned, reaching for it.

"Yeah, but I suspect you knew that I would change my mind if I saw you eating some." She said, shrugging.

Nathan eyed her, leaning over and taking the bowl from her hands. "Looks like you don't know me that well. I never do anything with you in mind." He said, shrugging.

She laughed, rolling her eyes and taking it once more. "Back off, Nathan." She said, smacking his hand away. "I'm taking this. Go get your own."

"That is mine." He said, laughing and rolling his eyes.

"Really? It's in my hands." Haley chuckled, glancing down at Brian.

Nathan shook his head, "If there wasn't a baby sitting between us, I would get it back from you." He chuckled, winking at her.

"Well, he is asleep." She informed him, nodding towards the bassinet. "And his bed is over there. I can't move him, of course, because I'm holding this bowl."

He laughed, standing up and carefully picking up Brian, "Okay, buddy. Let's get you in bed." He said, walking over and setting him in his crib before turning back to Haley, jumping onto the bed next to her.

"Careful." She laughed, smiling at him. "Wouldn't want you to spill my ice cream." She teased him.

Nathan laughed, rolling his eyes. "Oh, of course. I wouldn't want you to spill that." He said, nudging her elbow when she went to take another bite of the ice cream, causing her to miss her mouth. "Geez, Haley. Eat much?"

"You're the worst!" Haley laughed quietly, scowling at him and wiping off the side of her face.

"I'm not the worst. You stole my ice cream." He pouted, shaking his head at her.

She smiled at him, wrapping her arm around his neck, pulling him close to her and kissing him lightly, closing her eyes.

Nathan leaned into her resting his hand on her side, kissing her back, a small smile forming on his face. "Okay, okay. I brought the ice cream up for you." He admitted, nuzzling his nose against hers.

"I know." She said, pushing her fingers through his hair. "I love you, Nathan Scott."

"I love you too." He responded, kissing her once more.

Haley stood up slowly, setting the ice cream on the dresser, checking on Brian for a moment, before laying back down on the bed, tugging on Nathan's arm until he was laying down next to her. "It's been awhile since I've been able to cuddle up next to you, since Lydia has been sleeping between us."

"I know." He chuckled, wrapping his arm around her. "I think that you're the most fantastic human being that has ever existed." He informed her, kissing her forehead lightly.

She smiled, resting her head against his chest, biting down on her bottom lip lightly. "Thank you, Nathan. For everything."

"No, Haley. Thank you." He chuckled, holding her closer to him. "I'm sorry that this has been kind of hard. But we'll get the hang of it again."

"Oh, I know we will." She responded, lifting her head up and looking at him. "We're going to be fine."

"We're always fine." He chuckled, nodding at her.

"You especially." She hummed, lifting up his shirt a little bit, scratching her fingernails over his stomach lightly.

Nathan chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Thank you." He hummed, shaking his head.

Haley glanced over towards where Brian was sleeping peacefully, looking at Nathan. "He'll probably sleep for at least another ten minutes." She informed him, looking over at the time.

"I'm sure we can find some way to fill the time." He agreed, pulling her closer and kissing her deeply.

She smiled against his mouth, resting her hand on his cheek and shifting herself so she was above him, closing her eyes quickly. It had been awhile since they'd had time to just be with each other.

Of course, Brian didn't make it ten more minutes, and started crying just a few minutes later.

Nathan chuckled quietly, kissing Haley's forehead and sliding out from under her. "I'll get him. You get some rest, baby. Really, you deserve it." He said, walking to the crib quickly, scooping up his son and walking out of the room.

Haley fell onto her back, looking up at the ceiling and letting out a deep breath. They were going to be fine.


	60. Chapter 60

**I do not own One Tree Hill**

 **For some reason, i had a really difficult time writing this chapter and have started it and rewritten it several times. I'm not completely satisfied, but after close to two months of not updating, I thought I better.**

 **Chapter 60**

"I just think he's too young to have a serious girlfriend, Nathan." Haley said, leaning closer to the mirror, brushing some lipstick on her bottom lip, looking over at him.

Nathan chuckled quietly, moving the razor in his hand down his skin, watching himself in the mirror, glancing at her. "I don't know what you want me to tell you, Hales. It's Madison. We like Madison. She gets Jamie to do his homework. He's a smart kid, but let's face it... He hates doing his homework. Plus her mom always gives him rides home." He added, shrugging slightly.

"They could do that as friends. I don't like the idea. I know, it's been awhile, though I don't know exactly how long since he only told you, but come on... They could date when they're older." Haley said, letting out a deep breath and shaking her head.

"It's been even longer in the making. I remember when Jamie was ten and he liked one other girl for like four seconds, then Madison talked to him and he fell back in love with her." He responded, looking at himself.

"They are not in love." She argued, shaking her head.

"Okay, it was an exaggeration." He chuckled, setting his razor down and looking over at her. "You and Brooke have been pushing Lydia towards Davis and Jude since they could all talk, so you're being a little hypocritical in this situation."

"That's different." Haley said, shaking her head and sighing softly. "He's too young to have a girlfriend, Nathan."

"Haley, how old were you when you had your first boyfriend?" He asked, looking over at him.

"Sixteen." She said, rolling her eyes, looking at the mirror to finish applying the color to her lips.

He smirked slightly, nodding. "Damn right. Maybe Jamie is Madison's, smarter, better looking, cooler, funny, nicer version of Nathan Scott." He said, laughing. "You can't force them apart, Deb."

Haley looked at him, "Nathan! Off limits. You can not call me your mother's name. Ever." She said quickly, shaking her head.

"How old were you when you got your first kiss, Haley?" Nathan asked her, resting his hand on her shoulder for a brief moment, looking at her.

"Fourteen or fifteen." She responded, sighing softly.

"How old is Jamie?" He questioned her, smiling slightly.

"He's my baby, Nathan." She argued, poking Nathan in the ribcage lightly.

"I don't want him to grow up either, Hales. But if you force them apart, then you're going to force you and him apart." He reminded her, rubbing her back lightly, before turning his focus back to finishing up shaving.

She let out a deep breath, looking at him in the mirror, shaking her head, before looking back at herself, continuing to apply her makeup.

"You know, I was only a grade older than him when I lost my-" Nathan froze, staring at himself in the mirror. What had he just done?

Haley fell to a dead stop, her gaze moving over to Nathan slowly, "Excuse me?" She asked him quickly.

He picked up a towel off the counter, wiping any remaining shaving cream off his face, brushing his finger over the smooth skin. Maybe if he pretended he didn't say it, she would forget too.

"Where were you going with that sentence, Nathan?" She asked, turning to him, shaking her finger at him.

"I'm not sure what you're referring to." He said, his voice cracking slightly.

"If you were implying that my son was going to lose his virginity next year..." She began, shaking her head quickly.

"When I lost my spot on the freshman team and was moved up to varsity." He said quietly, resting his hands on the countertop and making eye contact with him.

She jabbed her finger into his bicep, glaring at him. "How dare you even start that sentence, Nathan! Do you think I'm one of your buddies? You're talking about my child."

"I didn't mean it. I'm sorry." Nathan grumbled, rubbing his neck. "I, uh..."

"You brought that up because Taylor is coming today, didn't you?" She asked him, rolling her eyes.

"What? No!" He argued quickly, stepping away from her. "Haley, no. I didn't mean to say it. I don't know why I said it."

She shook her head, "I'm fully aware that you lost your virginity to my sister when you were a freshman in high school. You don't need to bring up my son losing his too." She said simply, letting out a deep breath.

Cries filled their bedroom, and Nathan swore that he'd never felt so much relief from hearing their baby cry.

"I'll get it!" He volunteered quickly. "You finish getting ready." He said, before racing out of the bathroom into their bedroom, heading Haley shut the door loudly behind him. He picked up Brian quickly, bouncing him gently. "Hi." He chuckled, holding him up and looking at him. "You're a handsome little guy, aren't you." He said, attempting to calm his cries. "Come on, buddy." He hummed, letting out a deep breath when he was successful, walking over to the closet and pulling out a shirt. "Can you believe that all of your family is coming today? Won't be just us, my man. You need to protect me from them, because they're all just a little bit crazier than your mom." He hummed, setting Brian down on the bed, slipping the shirt around his shoulders, beginning to button it up. "You cry all you need, buddy." He chuckled, rolling up his sleeves, making faces down at Brian, tickling him a little bit. "Come on, dude. Crack a smile." He laughed, before scooping him up. "Let's go find Jamie."

He continued to try and make Brian smile as he walked, sighing softly and poking his head in Jamie's room. "Hey." He said, stepping into it.

Jamie glanced up at him, nodding slightly, before turning his gaze back to the phone in his hands.

Nathan looked around the room, making sure it was clean, before looking back at Jamie, shifting Brian into one arm and holding out his hand. "Phone. Give it."

"What? I didn't do anything." Jamie said, shaking his head quickly.

"I know." Nathan said, fishing his wallet out of his pocket. "I just can't have you texting Madison all day today." He said, pulling out a fifty dollar bill, holding it out. "I'll trade you."

Jamie raised his eyebrows, holding up one finger, sending out what felt like several hundred texts, before handing his phone to Nathan. "When can I get it back?"

"Tonight, when you're sleeping in a tent outside." He said, chuckling quietly. "Save some room for me out there though." He joked, bouncing Brian lightly. "Just kidding."

"Is everything okay?" Jamie asked him, raising his eyebrows.

"Mom just gets a little crazy when everyone is here." Nathan said, before turning his focus to Brian. "Isn't that right, Brian? Mommy gets so crazy." He said in a baby voice, kissing Brian's head.

"Dad. Stop." Jamie laughed, rolling his eyes. "Okay, I won't bother you with my phone. I'll just spend time with family. Gross."

"Very funny. Put on the shirt mom told you to wear, okay? I'm serious, Jame. Just do what she says today." He chuckled, stepping out of the room and heading downstairs.

He found Haley standing in the kitchen, looking through the fridge, her back to him, with Lydia sitting up on the counter, playing games on her phone.

Nathan stepped up behind her, taking a moment to admire her bent over form, smirking slightly. He let out a low whistle, watching her glance over at him and roll her eyes.

"What do you need, Nathan?" Haley asked him, shaking her head and standing up straight.

"Can you get me something from the bottom shelf?" He asked her, grinning and winking at her.

"Very funny." She said, letting out a deep breath, turning away from him.

"I brought a peace offering." He said, holding up Brian. "The cutest little baby in the whole entire world."

She looked back at him, turning back around, taking Brian from his arms, resting his head against her shoulder. "Hi baby." She said softly to him, pressing a kiss to his head.

Nathan looked at her for a moment, letting out a deep breath. She still looked annoyed with him, so he turned to Lydia. "Hey short stack. You planning on wearing your pajamas all day long?"

"Yep!" Lydia responded, grinning at him. "I don't feel like getting dressed."

"Yeah, I don't blame you." He chuckled, stepping over to her. "You need to though."

Lydia looked at him, "You look little." She said, brushing her fingers over his cleanly shaven cheek.

Nathan scrunched his nose up at her, shaking his head. "Take it back." He said to her, pinching her side lightly.

"No." She giggled, leaning away from him and setting Haley's phone on the counter.

He raised his eyebrows, fake pouting, before lifting her up off the counter, throwing her up into the air. "Take it back, you goofball!" He said, grinning at her.

"Never!" Lydia responded, laughing loudly when he flipped her so he was holding her upside down by her legs.

Nathan grinned at her, glancing up when Clay and Quinn walked into the house, Logan following after them, lugging around Skylar's car seat.

"Hi!" Lydia giggled loudly, looking at them and waving.

Before anyone else could say anything, Clay started talking. "Nathan, can I talk to you outside for a minute?" He said quickly, nodding his hair.

Nathan raised his eyebrows, setting Lydia down carefully, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Go get dressed, Lyds." He said, turning her towards the stairs, before heading outside quickly.

Haley watched as Clay followed her husband outside, glancing at Quinn. "Hey guys. Logan, Jamie is up in his room." She said, letting out a deep breath.

Quinn smiled as Logan set the car seat next to her, running up the stairs. She bent over, unbuckling Skylar quickly, holding him out to Haley. "Baby swap?" She suggested.

Haley laughed, shifting Brian into Quinn's arms and taking Skylar quickly. "I'm always ready to hold your baby. He's so cute."

"Same. I feel like I've hardly been here to see mister Bry-guy in the last month." Quinn said, smiling down at him, holding him close.

"Because my baby screams and then causes your baby to scream." She said, letting out a deep breath, glancing over to where Clay and Nathan had exited. "What are they talking about?"

"I'm not sure. Clay has been on the phone all morning, and didn't say anything the whole ride over here." Quinn said, shrugging slightly. "Has Nathan been acting weird?"

"Not really." Haley said, frowning slightly and shrugging her shoulders. "I wonder what's going on. He seemed pretty urgent."

"I haven't really asked him but I haven't had the chance to." Quinn said, looking down at Brian. "Three out of three on the beautiful kids, Hales. Well done."

Haley laughed, smiling slightly. "Thank you." She said, looking over at Brian. "He looks so much like Nathan."

"He has your eyes." Quinn said, nodding at her.

"My brown eyes are too damn dominant. I wanted all our children to have his gorgeous eyes." Haley responded, shaking her head.

"I think your eyes are pretty." Quinn said, rolling her eyes. "Jamie has his, maybe the next one will."

"I'm going to stop you right there." Haley said, shifting Skylar slightly. "Tell Mama that she's crazy." She said, holding him up a bit so he could see Quinn, causing a smile to break out on his face.

Quinn grinned at him, shaking her head and looking at Haley. "How's Megan doing?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Good days and bad. She's doing surprisingly well for her first baby." Haley said, smiling slightly. "Grayson struggles with it sometimes, and it doesn't help that Nathan really doesn't like him, and his presence makes him nervous. So whenever we go over there, he bails." She said, shaking her head.

"Well, he did punch him in the face." Quinn chuckled, shaking her head. "I want to see her little girl. I've only seen her once and she's nearing four months."

"I don't think she will, but she talked about spending a night here in about two weeks because Gray is going out of town and she doesn't want to bother her dad and Deb. We'll see though." Haley said, smiling down at Skylar.

"How's William doing with her?" Quinn asked, raising her eyebrows.

"He loves her. Deb told me she doesn't let him go to the store anymore because he always finds things to buy for her and for Brian." Haley laughed, letting out a deep breath. "Nathan is still hesitant around him, but he really seems to make Deb happy, so he's giving him another chance."

"That's really good." Quinn said, smiling slightly. "And the kids?"

"Jamie is pretty good friends with Jordan, which I think is great. I'm going to give Nicole a job at the cafe, since she's surprisingly taking a semester before she goes to college. Nathan actually suggested it, so that's good. I don't know, I think he likes having them, whether he'd admit it or not." She said, smiling slightly.

Quinn smiled at her, "And do I even want to ask about you?" She asked, raising her eyebrows and glancing down at Brian.

"He still wakes up about every hour, sometimes every other hour. He'll either be awake for five seconds, and all he needs if for one of us to hold him for a little while, or he'll be awake for forty minutes and cry, and cry." Haley said, brushing her fingers through her hair. "Thankfully, last night wasn't horrible, so we're both in a bit better moods than we have been for the last month. I feel bad for Jamie and Lydia mostly, because they don't always wake up, but when they do, they sometimes can't go back to sleep. Lydia was sleeping in our bed until this week, but if she can't go back to sleep, she finds her way back. It usually only happens when Brian wakes up around five or six." She laughed, looking down at Skylar again.

"Yikes." Quinn laughed, shaking her head. "At least everyone will be sleeping outside tonight, right? So thankfully if he screams all night long, you won't have to hear Andrew's endless bitching." She pointed out.

"I fully expect Vivian to mail me pamphlets about vasectomies after these next two days." Haley said, shaking her head.

Quinn laughed, rolling her eyes. "I think you expect this to go worse than it will. It's going to be fine." She assured her.

"We'll we haven't heard anything about Brandon and Marisa, so we'll have to see how that goes. I don't even know if she's coming, or which of their kids are coming. That goes for everyone. I'm not sure how many of their kids are coming. There's horrible communication with this family." Haley said, rolling her eyes slightly.

"Breathe, Hales." Quinn said, shifting Brian in her arms. "I talked to Marisa, she's coming with them. Jackson isn't coming with them, though. He was going on a trip with his friends before school starts, but besides him, all their kids are coming."

"What would I do without you?" Haley chuckled, shaking her head. "Bran told me the last time he was here that he caught him smoking. He's only three years older than Jamie." She said, letting out a deep breath. "Speaking of Jamie, you were sixteen when you lost your virginity, right?"

Quinn raised her eyebrows, blinking at her younger sister. "It was the summer before my junior year, so whatever age I was then." She said, shrugging slightly. "Why?"

"Just my husband running his stupid mouth this morning." Haley said, letting out a deep breath. "I'm just making sure everyone doesn't lose it as a freshman in high school."

Quinn laughed, "Oh, Haley. You're quite the mama bear." She said, smiling at her.

Haley opened her mouth to respond, when Chris Keller's voice rang throughout the house.

"Chris Keller is in the house! Time for the party to get started!" He shouted.

Haley watched at Brian jumped, and then started crying loudly. She made eye contact with Quinn, shaking her head and switching babies once again, bouncing her son lightly.

"What the hell is that noise?" Chris asked, stepping up behind Quinn, looking at Brian. "You guys had a baby?"

"Shut up, Chris." Haley said, shaking her head, shushing Brian quietly. "It's okay, little man. I know."

"He's kidding." Taylor said, wrapping her arm around Quinn's shoulders, looking down at Skylar. "Cute."

Quinn looked at Haley, mouthing 'Speak of the devil' to her, winking.

Chris shifted his gaze between the two babies, before looking at Taylor. "Maybe we should have one. Little Keller can be friends with Baby Scott." He suggested, winking at her.

"I'm in." Taylor said, looking at Brian. "Sounds a lot like you when you were a kid, Hales. Boohoo, Taylor bit me. Boohoo, Taylor stole my toy."

"Funny." Haley said sarcastically, letting out a deep breath.

"Give him here." Taylor said, holding out her arms.

"Just- be careful, please." Haley said, gently setting Brian in her arms, taking a step back when he immediately stopped crying.

Quinn quickly looked down at Haley's son, up at Taylor's face, before back at Haley once again, raising her eyebrows.

"Life isn't so bad, Brian. You can complain to Mom, but Aunt Taylor won't put up with it." Taylor said to him, smirking slightly.

Chris wrapped his arm around Haley's shoulders, tugging her into his side. "Hales. You look great." He said, grinning down at her.

"Thank you, Chris." Haley said, letting out a deep breath and eyeing Taylor, frowning slightly.

"We just left our stuff by the front door. I brought my guitar. I was hoping we could bring back a little bit of 'When The Stars Go Blue', what do you think?" He asked her, nodding his head.

"Maybe." Haley responded, letting out a deep breath. "You two do know that you'll be sleeping outside, right? You never responded to any of my texts, Tay."

"Yeah, we know." Taylor responded, brushing her finger down Brian's cheek, before looking up at Haley. "I brought brownies." She said, winking at her. "Figure you could use them."

"Very funny, Taylor." Quinn said, looking over at her. "You're joking, right?"

Taylor raised her eyebrows. "Why would I be joking? I actually left them in my car, do you think Jamie could go run out and get them?" She suggested, "And Logan."

"No." Haley said, shaking her head quickly. "You better be joking, Taylor."

"Relax, Haley. I didn't put anything out of the ordinary in them, though maybe you should think about investing your time in my original recipe, you seem a little high strung." Taylor joked, looking over when Nathan and Clay stepped back into the kitchen.

"How long have you guys been here?" Nathan asked, glancing between Taylor and Chris. "I didn't know you were coming, Keller."

"I'm part of the family, aren't I? I mean... I did save your life." Chris said, nudging his elbow into Nathan's side.

Nathan looked over at Clay, shaking his head slightly. "You're right, Chris. Why don't you and Taylor take the master bedroom? You're such royalty in the home, I insist." He said, laughing.

"If you insist..." Chris said, laughing. "Chris Keller accepts. Hear that?"

"But you have to keep the baby in there." Nathan added, moving to stand on the other side of Haley, pushing Chris' arm off her, replacing it with his own.

"This baby loves me." Taylor said, smirking slightly. "I could have a baby if it's this easy to have one."

"I think she just volunteered for diaper duty, what do you think, Hales?" Nathan asked, looking down at his wife.

"That's what I heard." Haley said, letting out a deep breath.

"Take ours too." Clay said, taking Skylar and setting him in Chris' arms. "Check it out, Quinn! I think we should double date with Nathan and Haley while we have some babysitters."

"Hey, I'm in." Quinn laughed, smiling. "What do you say, Chris? You feel comfortable with Skylar?"

"Nope." Chris said, shaking his head. "Chris Keller doesn't hold babies unless their wearing a shirt that has my name on it. I brought some."

"Chris!" Lydia yelled, running at him full force, jumping into his arms when he held them out.

"Lydia Scott!" Chris responded, smiling brightly, hugging her tightly.

"Lydia, you totally side stepped me." Clay said, shaking his head. "I'm hurt."

Lydia looked over her shoulder, "Hi Uncle Clay." She said, before turning back to Chris. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too! What do you say tomorrow we go to the studio and I can show you and your mom some of the stuff I've been working on." Chris said, setting her down and nodding his head.

"Can we?" Lydia asked, looking at Haley and raising her eyebrows.

"Maybe." Haley said, sending her a small smile, letting out a deep breath when the doorbell rang.

"Finally someone knocks before they enter." Nathan chuckled, giving Haley's shoulder a soft squeeze. "I'll get it. Maybe you can all shift this party out of the kitchen and into the living room." He said, smiling slightly at his wife, before walking to the front door, kicking Taylor and Chris' bags to the side, shaking his head and pulling the door open.

He looked down when a girl just a little bit older than Lydia came running in, his gaze shifting to the youngest James brother, Andrew, standing in the door.

"Jasmine, what did I tell you about running into their house!" Andrew called after her, shaking his head. "She does this every time, sorry. I guess Lydia is the most exciting person in her life."

"I don't blame her." Nathan responded, reaching over and taking the bags that Natasha was holding, sending them a small smile. "How was the drive?"

"Long." Their fifteen year old son said, Gabe said, stepping into the house behind his parents.

"Chin up, Gabe. At least now you can have a very relaxing night with absolutely no screaming or children having fun." Nathan said sarcastically, shaking his head.

"It's Gabriel." Gabe grumbled, walking away from them.

"For the love of..." Andrew said, shaking his head. "I'm so tired of hearing that. It's not like Gabriel is that much different than Gabe." He grumbled, shaking his head. "Sorry, Nate. It's been in a long drive. Next time, we're flying." He chuckled, shuffling his two other kids into the house.

Haley smiled when her brother walked into the room, waving up at him and standing up slowly. "Hey." She said, walking over and hugging him quickly.

Andrew smiled, hugging her tightly. "Hey." He said, looking down at her. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm doing fine. Saw Gabe, or Gabriel should I say." She responded, chuckling quietly.

"He's so dramatic and moody, I don't want to get into it." Andrew laughed, looking over at his wife and shaking his head.

"Sounds like our teenager." Nathan said, chuckling quietly and sitting down on the couch, taking Haley's seat next to Taylor, brushing his fingers through his hair, looking down at Brian and smiling.

"I'm not taking credit for any of the mess my kids make in your home." Andrew said, shaking his head.

Natasha shook her head, "I'll make them clean it up." She said, taking a seat next to Quinn, smiling at her, looking down at Skylar. "I need a baby, so someone give it up."

"Brian is staying put in Taylor's arms." Nathan said quickly, shaking his head. "He's being quiet."

"I guess you could say he likes his Aunt Taylor best." Taylor said, smirking slightly. "Isn't that right?"

"He definitely has good taste." Chris said, looking at Brian.

Quinn chuckled, setting Skylar in her arms. "I don't know how I feel about no one wanting to hold my baby."

"I held him for a little while." Chris said, shrugging.

"It's Chris." Andrew said flatly, looking at him and letting out a deep sigh. "Chris came, yay."

"My future brother in law." Chris said, waving at him.

Andrew looked at Taylor, shaking his head. "It's nice to see you again. Let's hope you can keep all your clothes on this time." He grumbled.

"No promises." Chris said, wrapping his arm around Taylor's shoulders.

"Yes. You better promise." Clay said, shaking his head. "Promise right now."

"Okay, okay. I promise." Chris said, shaking his head.

"You guys are no fun." Taylor said, leaning into Chris and looking down at Brian.

"I think we're a lot of fun." Quinn said, shrugging slightly.

"Yeah, in fact, Quinn and I-" Clay stopped when Nathan's phone started ringing.

Nathan pulled it out of his pocket, standing up quickly. "Would you excuse me for a minute?" He said, letting out a deep breath and heading up the stairs.

Haley looked over at Quinn, before her gaze shifted to Clay.

Clay watched Nathan, letting out a deep breath, leaning back against the couch, tapping his fingers on his legs. "So... I'm betting Vivian shows up next."

xxxx

The rest of the day shifted back and forth from crazy to not crazy, the whole time Nathan or Clay taking mysterious phone calls, her siblings arguing and making dumb comments, Brian crying for everyone except Taylor for some reason, Haley watched Jamie like a hawk, and listened in to just about every conversation that he was having.

Nathan finally got Brian to bed at nearly ten o'clock, before he slid into bed next to his wife, her back to him while she slept. He shook his head, chuckling quietly. She could hold a grudge.

After nearly an hour of rolling around, he looked over at his wife, nudging her slightly. "Haley, are you asleep?"

"How the hell could I be asleep with you moving around so much?" Haley grumbled, tugging on the blankets, keeping her back to him.

Nathan propped his head up, looking at her, brushing his fingers over her arm. "I can't sleep. Talk to me. Tell me some boring fact that sounds so beautiful coming out of your mouth."

She sighed softly, before smirking slightly. "Roughly eighty percent of women have faked an orgasm in their lifetime." She grumbled, shaking her head.

"Not cool." He groaned, pulling her down onto her back, looking at her and shaking his head. "That will keep me awake at night, and I want to sleep."

She glanced over at him, letting out a deep breath. "Well, maybe you should go outside with everyone else then. Because right now, Brian is asleep. Which means that we should be asleep." She whispered.

Nathan glanced over to where their son was sleeping, before looking down at her. "I know."

"So what's wrong, Nathan? Do you need to go exercise? Drink some warm milk? Does your back hurt?" She asked him, looking over at him.

He raised his eyebrows, looking at her for a second. None of the above, really. But...

"My back hurts." He finally said, letting out a deep breath. "I think that a little massage would help me out."

Haley closed her eyes for a moment, pinching the bridge of her nose, before sitting up. "Alright." She finally said, gesturing for him to follow her movements.

He smirked slightly, pulling his shirt over his head, rolling onto his stomach and laying his head on his crossed arms.

She looked down at him, brushing her fingers up and down his back, sighing softly. "There you go."

"I'm in so much pain." He attempted, looking at her, shrugging slightly.

"Uh-huh." She said, shaking her head. "Maybe we should go to the emergency room if you're in that much pain."

"I don't think that's necessary." He said, sitting up a bit. "I think that your hands should be enough to solve this."

She sighed softly, pushing down on his back so he was laying down again. "Okay." She said, straddling his legs, looking down at his back.

He smirked slightly, relaxing underneath her hands. "Yep. I can tell that this is going to do the trick." He said, letting out a deep breath.

"I'm sure." She grumbled, kneading her hands into his back, sighing softly. "I'm really mad at you, Nathan."

"I can tell." He responded, shrugging. "Jason told me that you were going around asking everyone when they lost their virginity." He chuckled, shaking his head. "And if their kids have lost their virginity."

"It's your fault." She responded, looking down at him.

"I wasn't thinking when I said it, baby. You need to give the kid more credit. He has a good head on his shoulders." Nathan said, letting out a deep sigh. "He'a part Haley James. A genius. He's still young."

She let out a deep breath, pushing down on his shoulders lightly. "I know. The Scott men just have a bad track record." She grumbled, scratching her fingernails down his back.

"That does not feel like the nice kind of scratching." He chuckled, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"It's not." She responded, pushing his head down.

He laughed quietly, rolling his eyes. "I love you." He hummed to her.

"I know." She said, letting her hands still on his back.

"And?" Nathan said, smirking slightly. "Come on, say it."

"I love you too." She grumbled, looking down at him. "Don't make me feel like this. I'm mad at you. You woke me up."

"Feel like what?" He laughed, closing his eyes.

She let out a deep breath, "Like you love me." She said, tracing her finger down his spine.

"Sorry." He chuckled, pressing his face into the pillow. "I'm sorry for upsetting you."

"I know." She responded, smoothing her hands over the muscles in his back. "Maybe I overreacted a little bit. I just don't like them growing up."

"Me too." He responded, shrugging slightly. "But he's smart, and he'll make the right choices because you've set a good example for him, okay? So just relax."

She looked down at him, brushing her fingers through his hair. "You set a good example for him too, Nathan." She assured him, shaking her head.

"If he knew half the shit I did in high school, he wouldn't think so." He said, sighing softly. "I suppose after we got married, maybe." He said, shrugging slightly.

Haley smiled down at him, brushing her fingertips over his bicep. "You knew I was angry at you, yet you still didn't keep your distance from me today. I love you for that." She said softly.

"Please, baby. I wanted to be there to hold you back in case you had enough of Taylor and thought about attacking her." He chuckled, looking over his shoulder at her.

"Very funny." She laughed, leaning over an kissing his head lightly. "I don't understand why Brian likes her so much though. It's almost annoying."

"Maybe he's just so scared of her." He responded, letting out a deep breath as her hands worked at his lower back.

"It's like he would be screaming, then I'd set him in Taylor's arms and he would go silent. Lydia likes Chris, Brian likes Taylor. At least Jamie knows they're both crazy." She laughed, glancing over to where Brian was sleeping.

"I don't get it either. I think that I'm a lot cooler than Chris Keller, and you're way better than Taylor James. I mean, seriously. If those two had a baby... It would be the most confident, craziest baby on the planet. Probably talk in third person too." He said, shaking his head.

"I don't think they'll get married, but they've lasted this long." Haley said, shaking her head. "I didn't feel like today went so horribly, did you?"

"No. There was the part where Brandon and Jason were at each others throats over what kind of pizza they wanted to order, and Vivian is always a little nosy, but besides that... All went well." He chuckled, reaching one hand behind him until it connected with her leg.

She smiled down at him, letting out a deep breath. "I'm done being angry at you. Just don't say anything to me like that ever again."

"Okay." He laughed, "He can be married with kids and I'll never say a word." He said, shaking his head, brushing his thumb over her leg, holding onto it lightly.

"Good." She responded, shifting slightly, pressing down onto his back.

"Mm... You really do know how to take away the pain." He said, smirking slightly and closing his eyes. "Because this feels damn good."

She chuckled, rolling her eyes. "I just hope that you're okay. I mean, if your back hurts..."

"I'll be okay." He said, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Just a little sore. You know how it gets."

"Oh yeah, I know." She said, shaking her head. "I just wish there was more I could do for you."

"You're doing everything." He said, flexing his back muscles under her hands.

"How long has it been bothering you? I should've been up here with you all day, waiting on you hand and foot. Forget sleeping tonight, I need to make sure my man is okay." Haley said, pinching Nathan's side softly, biting down on her lip.

"If you feel like you need to." He responded, letting out a deep breath. "It does feel pretty good. Been awhile since I've had your hands all over me."

"I'm so sorry, Nathan. I won't rest until I feel like you're completely relaxed and satisfied. Whatever it takes to make you comfortable." She said, "It never even occurred to me how much you miss me all over you. You're right, you deserve it. You're the best husband in the world, let me move Brian out of here and then take care of your needs."

"Okay, okay. Enough of the sarcasm. My back doesn't hurt, you got me." He grumbled, shaking his head.

Haley fake gasped, "How dare you." She said, slapping her hand against his back lightly. "I don't know how to process this."

"Stop it." He laughed, shaking his head. "I just wanted you to talk to me. Then you asked me if my back was hurting and I just couldn't resist." He said, shrugging slightly.

"As if I didn't know that you were fine." She said, smiling at him. "You're lucky I like seeing you shirtless." She said, brushing her fingers down his sides.

"Mhm." He hummed, closing his eyes. "I love you, Hales."

She picked up his hand, kissing it lightly. "I love you too, Nathan. And yes, I'll keep doing this for a little while, but you have to get Brian two times in a row."

"Make it three." He chuckled, "One for my comment earlier, one for waking you up, and one just because it's my turn." He said, nodding slightly.

"I won't argue with that." She laughed, applying more pressure onto his back, smiling slightly. She looked up when her phone started vibrating, sighing softly. "I don't like it when people call me this late." She grumbled, picking it up off the table behind their bed.

"Who is it?" Nathan grumbled, gripping the bed sheets lightly.

"Brandon." She said, sighing and propping the phone between her ear and her shoulder, continuing to massage Nathan's back. "What do you need?" She asked into the phone.

"Sibling meeting. Minus Quinn, she didn't care enough to drive over here." Brandon responded, chuckling quietly.

Haley sighed, looking down at Nathan. She could hear her other brothers laughing in the background.

"I'm a little busy right now." She said into the phone, poking Nathan's cheek when she saw the smirk on his face.

"With what? Nathan? Not a good enough excuse. Come downstairs." Brandon said, before Haley could hear him whispering to someone else.

"Brandon." She grumbled into the phone, looking over at Brian. "I'm busy."

"Come on, Hales. How often are we all together? Come downstairs. No spouses allowed. Chop chop." Brandon responded, before the line went dead.

"What's wrong?" Nathan grumbled, sighing softly.

"I have to go downstairs." Haley said, climbing off of him and laying down next to him for a brief moment, looking over at him.

"Damn." He sighed, rolling onto his side, resting his hand on her waist. "But I won't argue. Go be with your siblings."

She smiled slightly, pushing him down onto his back, kissing him briefly. "Shirt better be off when I come back." She said, brushing her finger over the scar on his ribcage.

"You can take it with you, if you'd like. To make sure I don't put it back on." He responded, winking at her.

"I'm not too worried about it." She said, kissing him once more, before getting out of bed. "Don't wait up."

Nathan nodded up at her, letting out a small sigh. "Don't be too long." He said, winking at her.

Haley nodded, leaning over and kissing his forehead, pushing back his hair, before heading out of the room, down to the living room, where all of her siblings were sitting, minus Quinn.

"You made it." Jason said, smiling at her.

"It's my house." She responded, taking a seat next to Vivian.

"I'm against this." Vivian said, leaning back against the couch and sighing softly.

"The idea was for you all to sleep outside so that no one would wake up Brian, and he wouldn't wake up anyone else. So if any of your voices raise above the pitch mine is at now, I'll end you." Haley warned them, pointing her finger around the room.

"Relax, Hales. Taylor will just hold him and all will be fine." Brandon said, slinging his arm around Taylor's shoulders.

"I don't think there's ever been someone that has liked me more than you. It must be killing you that it's your own child." Taylor said, winking at her.

"Back off, Taylor." Vivian said, shaking her head.

"Quinn isn't here to defend her, so now you're stepping up?" Andrew asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Did you all just bring me down here to mock me? Because I'd much rather be upstairs with my husband." Haley said, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

"No, no. Stay." Jason said, shaking his head. "We didn't bring you down here to make fun of you. James family meeting."

"First order of business." Brandon said, clapping his hands together.

"Quieter." Haley said, letting out a deep breath and leaning back against the couch.

"Sorry. First order of business, I want all of you to know that after many sessions of couples counseling, Marisa and I are going to be fine." He said, smiling slightly.

"We kind of assumed." Andrew said, shrugging. "It's been awhile and we haven't heard anything else, so..."

"Yeah, well I just wanted to confirm." He said, shrugging slightly. "Anyone else?"

"Oh, we're moving." Vivian said, shrugging slightly. "Jared was offered a better job in Illinois, so... Yeah. It's hard because Eddie is starting college at Michigan State, so in my opinion, we should move there. But Illinois is closer than we are now. We haven't told our kids yet though, so we keep it quiet."

"Damn, we really don't talk enough." Jason said, letting out a deep breath. "When are you moving?"

"Next month. We tried to push for summer so they wouldn't be starting school with their friends, then being torn away, but he couldn't start until the beginning of October." Vivian responded, shrugging. "They'll be okay."

"Well, I can help you move but I can only lift the light things. I'm old now." Jason chuckled, shaking his head. "There's nothing new with me."

"Well, there's nothing new with me either." Andrew said, hitting his hands on his legs. He shifted his gaze to Taylor. "Dare we ask?"

"Hey! I'm mature and settling down." Taylor said, crossing her arms.

"With Chris Keller." Brandon argued, shaking his head. "The guy cares more about his hair than anyone in this room."

"Maybe you should care a little more since you're balding." Taylor grumbled, shaking her head.

"I am not balding." Brandon said, scowling.

"Hey, quiet down. I'm serious." Haley said, letting out a small sigh. "Chris is different, but he's a good guy and if they like each other, then they like each other."

"The guy is a pompous jerk." Jason grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Haley is just biased because he helped save Nathan's life."

"Good reason to like him." Haley said simply, "And he makes me money, so there's no reason for me to complain about him."

"He's a great guy if you would just give him a chance." Taylor said simply, shrugging.

"This is the longest relationship she's ever been in." Vivian pointed out, shrugging slightly. "So maybe you three can take it easy."

"Maybe you three can take it easy." Andrew mocked, shaking his head.

"Shut up." Vivian laughed, rolling her eyes. "I'm still the oldest, so that pretty much makes me the boss."

"Oh, as if that's different than how you've felt your whole life." Taylor responded, shaking her head.

"Taylor, I was defending you." Vivian laughed, shrugging her shoulders.

"Now I remember why we don't all spend time together." Jason chuckled, leaning back. "What about you, Hales? How is life treating you?"

"Yeah, did Nathan ever fire his slutty assistant? I never heard what happened with that." Brandon said, smirking slightly.

"Slutty assistant?" Andrew asked her, scowling. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Oh, it was great." Taylor said, shaking her head.

"Stop it. Yes, Nathan fired her. It's not any of your business." Haley grumbled, rolling her eyes. "And she hasn't stalked us or tried to kidnap anyone, so it's fine."

"Good." Jason said, letting out a deep breath and looking at her.

"What was her name?" Taylor asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Elizabeth." Haley responded, looking over at Taylor.

"So then who is Jessica?" Taylor questioned, crossing her arms.

Haley looked at her, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "Where did you get the name Jessica?"

"That's the person that has been calling him all day, causing him to run out of the room." Taylor hummed, "I looked at his phone."

"Well, since both Clay and Nathan have been doing that, I assume it relates to both of them." Haley said, nodding at Taylor.

"Taylor, keep your nose out of everyone's business." Vivian scolded her.

"Like you're one to talk, Viv. You've been sticking your nose where it doesn't belong all day." Taylor chuckled, rolling her eyes.

"It's my job as the oldest to know what's going on and to know your business." Vivian argued, shaking her head. "Besides, Haley is the one walking around asking everyone about losing their virginity."

"She didn't ask me that." Taylor said, looking over at Haley.

"Because I don't care, Taylor." Haley sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Why not?" Taylor asked, scowling slightly. "I'm your sister, and you asked everyone else."

"It's because of Nathan." Andrew fake coughed, rubbing his neck.

"I didn't lose it to Nathan, he lost it to me." Taylor argued, shrugging.

"You all stress me out. And you're raising your voices, so I'm going to tell you for the last time. Shut the hell up." Haley snapped, letting out a deep breath.

"Can you all just get over it already? You do realize that you've been teasing them about it for fifteen years." Vivian said, shaking her head. "Leave Nathan and Haley alone."

"It's our job to tease them." Jason interjected, shrugging his shoulders.

"No, it's not." Vivian said, wrapping her arm around Haley's shoulders. "Tease Nathan when you're as successful as he is. Otherwise, keep your mouth shut."

"Sorry, Haley." Andrew grumbled, rubbing his neck, letting out a small sigh.

"So, how's everything going with Nathan's mom?" Jason asked, pushing his hand through his hair.

"It's going well." Haley said, smiling slightly. "I was talking to Quinn about it earlier, but honestly... I love his daughters. They're all great. And so much fun. I finally feel like I have some younger sisters that I can guide through life."

"You've been guiding all of us through life since you could talk, Haley." Brandon chuckled, shaking his head. "I wonder how you fit so much knowledge in that brain of yours."

"I'm amazing, what do you expect?" Haley responded, winking at him.

"Nathan got lucky, I'll tell you that. Because you could've married a brain surgeon or something." Brandon chuckled, leaning back. "I guess your life worked out pretty great, because I always marvel at this house whenever I'm in it."

"Yeah, it's perfect." Haley said, smiling slightly. "See, these are the kinds of conversations I like. The ones that make me wish you weren't leaving tomorrow."

"It's too bad that ninety percent of the time you want to shove us all out the door." Taylor said, winking at her. "Chris and I are sticking around for a few days, but we're not staying here."

"We probably should've done this earlier, because I'm not looking forward to the long drive back tomorrow. Maybe I can talk Tash into driving the car back while I fly." Andrew laughed, sighing softly. "I don't really want my kids to miss their first day of school. Gabriel is already moody enough."

"Jamie and Lydia's school starts on Tuesday instead of Monday." Haley hummed, brushing her fingers through her hair.

"My kids' school doesn't start until next week." Brandon said, smirking slightly. "But Isaac has a freak out if he misses more than one day of football, hence the reason we're going home tomorrow. That and my old man body can only take one night of sleeping on the ground."

"You're welcome to stay inside, but a screaming baby will probably wake you up at some point during the night." Haley said, shrugging slightly.

"I'll skip that." Brandon chuckled, smiling at her.

A few minutes later, Nathan hurried down the stairs, letting out a deep breath. "Haley, can you come up to bed?" He asked her, shaking his head.

Haley stood up, looking at her siblings. "This is where I leave you. Stay quiet, or feel my wrath. I'll see you all in the morning." She hummed, looking over at Nathan, sliding her hand into his, giving it a soft squeeze, before following him up the stairs.

She raised her eyebrows when she walked into the room, seeing a suit laying out on the bed, her gaze moving to Nathan. "What?"

Nathan sat down on the bed, rubbing his hands down his face. "I have to go. I'll be back in the morning, I swear." He said, shrugging slightly.

Haley sighed, looking at him. "What's going on, Nathan?"

"It's complicated. I have to go bail one of our clients out of jail." He grumbled, rubbing his neck, standing up once again.

"Jessica." Haley finished, nodding at him. "Okay. Why?"

"How did you know?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. "It doesn't matter. Since you left I've been on the phone with Clay, and I have to go." He said, sighing softly. "For some reason, I always root for the people that were similar to how I was before we met, and for some reason they let me down every time."

"Who is she? Is this new?" Haley asked him, frowning.

"I met her about a month before Brian was born. She's a swimmer, set for the Olympics, I'm sure of it." Nathan said, lacing his fingers into his hair. "I'm sorry, Haley. I'm sorry."

Haley looked at him, sitting down on the bed, glancing over at Brian. "It's fine, Nathan." She said, letting out a deep breath. "Is everything okay?"

"She's just the worst, and Clay has been dealing with her for the past month, and it's technically my fault so I have to go." He said, shaking his head.

"You have to go bail her out." She said slowly, nodding. "Why exactly?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Clay tried to get ahold of her all morning. She finally called me, and was being unusually rude to me, and it's been happening all day, and Clay called me and said that she called her brother, but he's in Europe right now, so he called us." He said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Haley."

"Stop apologizing, it's your job, Nathan." She said, nodding at him.

"I'll be back in the morning." He said, letting out a deep breath. "I'm just going to Charlotte. I'm sorry."

"Nathan, stop." She chuckled, standing up and letting out a deep breath, resting her hands on his chest, tapping her fingers lightly. "You don't need to keep apologizing, baby. I understand, okay?"

Nathan sighed, looking down at her and kissing her forehead. "Alright." He said softly, pushing his hand through his hair, quickly changing out of his sweatpants into his suit pants, letting out a deep breath.

She sat back down on the bed, lifting up his white shirt, removing it off the hanger and holding it out to him.

Nathan pulled his t-shirt over his head, taking the shirt from her, beginning to button it up slowly, glancing over at Brian. "I owe you big time, Hales."

"It's not like I thought you were going to stay here for the rest of your life and never leave my side, Nathan." She said, smiling at him. "You don't owe me anything."

He let out a deep breath, tucking his shirt in and rubbing his hands down his face, shaking he head. "I'll be back in the morning. I just feel like a bad husband, because I know how much less sleep you're going to get."

"Would you just calm down? I'm fine, baby. You're fine." She said, standing up once again, wrapping her picking up his tie, wrapping it around his neck, beginning to tie it for him. "I'm a mother, I can handle it."

Nathan let out a deep breath, tucking her hair behind her ear, kissing her head lightly. "Okay." He said softly.

"I have missed seeing you in your suits all the time, but I like it more when you're coming home in them, rather than leaving." She chuckled, tugging on his tie and winking up at him.

He smirked at her, resting his hands on her waist. "Oh, Haley James. I miss having sex with you so much." He chuckled, shrugging slightly.

She smacked his chest, laughing. "A little blunt, don't you think?" She said, before standing on her toes, kissing him briefly. "Maybe don't come back for two more weeks."

He chuckled, brushing his thumbs over her sides, picking up his jacket off the bed, pulling it around his shoulders. He walked over to Brian, brushing his fingers down his son's arm. "You be good. Don't cry too much. I'll see you tomorrow, Brian." He said, leaning over and kissing his head, before turning back to Haley. "Same goes for you."

Haley shook her head, smiling at him. "Let me walk you out." She said, wrapping her arm around his waist.

He draped his arm around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head before following her down the stairs.

She let out a small breath of relief due to the fact that all of her siblings must've gone back outside.

"Maybe we should make our kids sleep outside. Give them a sense of independence." He joked, allowing Haley to lead him to the garage.

"Great idea. You tell them." She laughed, squeezing his side lightly.

"I'll tell them when I get back in two weeks." He hummed, nodding at her.

"I was joking. You better not be gone that long." She said, pulling open the garage door, nodding at his car.

"The only way I'd be gone past the morning is if I get kidnapped. I might even be back before you wake up." He chuckled, shrugging.

"Not funny, at all. Get in your car." She said, pushing him towards his car, pulling the door open for him.

"Sorry." He chuckled, getting into the driver's seat, looking over at her and smiling. "I love you." He said said.

Haley opened her mouth to respond, before loud crying echoed from inside the house. "That's for me." She said, smiling slightly. "I love you too. Text me when you land." She said, leaning over and kissing him briefly, before stepping away from his car, opening up the garage and waving at him.

Nathan smiled slightly, waving at her and letting out a deep breath, before driving away.

Haley closed the garage back up, heading into the house and sighing softly. She leaned back against the door for a moment, shaking her head. She hoped that all went well. She felt like it seemed like him being kidnapped was brought up so casually today and it hurt her heart and made he worry about him even more

She snapped out of her thoughts at Brian's cries, letting out a deep breath and hurrying up the stairs.


	61. Chapter 61

**I do not own One Tree Hill**

 **Ah, I love this chapter so much. Since I watched One Tree Hill on Netflix, it's been so long since I've watched it and I miss it so much. So since I was missing Naley desperately, this came out of my brain.**

 **Chapter 61**

Haley couldn't keep the smile off her face as her eyes moved over her husbands sleeping form, gently pushing her fingers through his dark hair, examining it carefully. She could see all the little gray hairs growing, that she would continuously tell him did not exist. She laughed quietly to herself, kissing his forehead, tangling her fingers in the short hair on the sides of his head, her eyes moving to his face. He looked so peaceful as he slept. She brushed her finger over the faint lines near the corner of his eyes that would become much deeper once he smile. She continued to move her finger down his face, touching her thumb over the small scar under his eye, biting down on her bottom lip, leaning over and pressing a light kiss there. He had aged like fine wine. So handsome. Haley carefully moved her finger along his stubbly jawline, smiling at the dark hair that was appearing there once again. After going only days without any type of facial hair, she'd subtly slid her love for it into a conversation, and he'd started growing it back again. There was no way she'd ever love anyone more than she loved him. She really had been blessed with the most caring guy out there.

"Just because my eyes are closed, doesn't give you permission to touch every part of my face." Nathan grumbled, shifting slightly, a small smile on his face.

She looked at him, leaning over and pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth, tapping her finger on his nose. "Mhm." She said to him, scooting closer to him. She slid her hand over his bare shoulder, brushing her fingertips over his collarbone, before moving them down the center of his chest. He'd stayed fit too, which was something no one would ever hear her complaining about.

"What happened to your shirt?" She asked him curiously, kissing his shoulder, pressing her nose into his neck, letting his presence surround every one of her senses, biting down on her lip lightly.

"Brian threw up on me." He responded, his voiced scratchy from sleep, blinking his eyes open and looking down at her.

"I guess I should thank him." She said softly, brushing her pointer finger over the scar on his ribcage, letting out a deep breath, disappearing under the covers for a brief moment to press a light kiss to the damaged skin, before smiling at him.

He raised his eyebrows, chuckling quietly. "What are you doing?" He laughed, rubbing his eyes, looking at her and smiling slightly.

Haley pushed her fingers through his hair, kissing him lightly. "I just feel really... Thankful for you right now." She said softly, nodding at him. "Your scars remind me how lucky I am to have you here next to me." She mumbled, tapping the one on his face. "To have you with me forever."

"Always and forever." He added, smirking slightly, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "You okay?" He asked her quietly.

She pushed him lightly at his use of 'their' phrase, kissing him once more. "I'm perfect, Nathan Scott. You've made me feel perfect."

Nathan glanced at the clock, smiling at her. "Since you're being so appreciative of me, I won't comment about how we don't need to be awake for another half an hour." He said, draping his arm around her waist, bunching up her shirt a bit, his fingers gently tracing over the numbers on her back.

"Right, because that didn't count." She laughed, scooting herself closer to him, leaning into his embrace, closing her eyes. "I couldn't stop staring at you, but then you opened your mouth and started talking."

Nathan chuckled, pinching her side lightly, causing her to flinch into him and laugh quietly.

"Quiet, you. You love me." He said, smirking at her.

Haley smiled, biting her lip, pushing her fingers through his hair. "Maybe." She hummed quietly, shrugging her shoulders.

He raised his eyebrows, pushing her from her side onto her back, moving so he was hovering over her, looking down at her, beginning to tickle her sides.

She shook her head quickly, reaching her hand up to cover her mouth, to stop her laughter, shaking slightly underneath him, pushing on his chest. "Nathan, stop!" She said to him, biting down on her lip and pushing on his chest once again.

"Sorry, baby. I can't hear you." He said, smirking slightly, continuing to tickle her, laughing quietly.

"Nathan, I'm going to-" She covered her mouth once again, shoving on his chest once more. "I'm going to wake up Brian."

He chuckled, glancing over his shoulder where Brian was sleeping, before looking down at her again, his hand stilling on her side. "Fine, fine." He chuckled, holding himself above her. "You're pretty." He said softly.

She smiled up at him, "Thank you." She responded, resting her hand on his cheek, nodding her head. "You're pretty too."

"I should've kept faking asleep, you were a lot nicer to me." He chuckled, dropping himself down a bit and pressing a brief kiss to her lips, before falling onto the bed next to her.

Haley lifted herself up, smiling at him. "Okay, I admit... I do love you. But, you're still pretty," She said, kissing him once more.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm going to shower." He said, sitting up slowly, turning and letting his legs hang off the bed. "Do you want me to drop the kids off or you?"

"Mm... You can do it. I cried when I dropped Jamie off yesterday, for no reason. I don't like them getting older." She said, brushing her finger down his spine.

"Alright." He hummed, standing up slowly, looking down at her. "You think you can handle baby duty without me?"

She rolled her eyes, poking her foot out and pressing it against his stomach. "Yes. Go shower." She hummed, winking at him, sitting up slowly.

He chuckled quietly, shaking his head and walking into the bathroom.

Haley smiled slightly when she heard him start whistling the tune of one of her songs, biting her lip and pressing her face into his pillow for a brief moment. She really had gotten lucky with him. And she would never deny that.

xxxx

"No, Nathan. It's September. We agreed a long time ago that we don't start listening to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving." Haley laughed as she stepped into the cafe, shifting Brian's car seat in her arm. They were meeting Grayson and Megan for lunch, and well... Haley couldn't help but want to check up on Nicole to make sure things were going alright.

"Come on, Hales. It was your Christmas Album. I just... Skipped over the parts with 'He-who-shall-not-be-name.' I just love listening to my girl rock around the Christmas tree." He said, winking at her.

"I didn't realize I recorded a song with Voldemort." She grumbled, shaking her head. "That's not even one of the songs. No more Christmas music. Why are you so quick to skip Halloween? Or Thanksgiving?" She laughed, patting his stomach lightly.

He shrugged, "I don't know, I'm just excited. Get off my back." He chuckled, taking the car seat from her, nodding when Brooke came rushing over.

"My baby." Brooke said, taking the car seat from Nathan as soon as he got it. "Hello little guy, it's your Aunt Brooke and I love you so much, yes I do. Yes I do." She cooed to him in a baby voice, setting the car seat down on a nearby table, looking at Haley. "Can I get him out?"

"Hello beautiful friend, it's nice to see you too." Haley joked, looking at the car seat. "Go right ahead." She hummed, reaching over and grabbing onto Nathan's hand.

"You know that I'm always happy to see you, Haley. But I have hardly seen this precious angel." Brooke responded, unbuckling Brian and holding him close.

"Hi Brooke." Nathan chuckled, looking down at Haley and smiling at her, kissing her head lightly.

"Hey Nate." Brooke hummed, brushing her fingers over Brian's head. "It seems like just yesterday my boys were this tiny and now, here they started kindergarten this week and are loving it. I'm happy they're having a good time, but my heart can't take coming home and seeing them happy and not missing me." She complained, looking at Haley. "Can I just... Keep this one?"

"Yeah." Nathan responded, chuckling and shaking his head. "Whitey is messing with me, I swear. So yeah, take him. See how he does with you." He said, squeezing Haley's hand lightly.

"Deal." Brooke said, looking at Haley. "Sorry, Hales." She smiled down at Brian. "Come on, buddy. Let's go see what crazy Auntie Nicole is doing." She hummed, "She had customers here that she needs to seat."

"It's really fine, Brooke, we can seat ourselves." Haley said, shaking her head.

"Hey, wait a minute. She's right. Make her seat us." Nathan said, smirking slightly, nodding at Brooke.

Brooke rolled her eyes, resting Brian's head on her shoulder, heading into the back.

"Nathan, be nice." Haley said, nudging her elbow into his side.

He laughed, "I'm always nice, baby." He assured her, looking around the cafe. "Since Brooke loves Brian so much, let's drop him off here and go home and have a quickie in the shower. You know, when our six weeks is up."

"Only fools will say that romance is dead after being married for eighty million years." She chuckled, linking her arm through his, resting her head on his shoulder, smiling at Nicole when she approached them. "Hi Nicole." She hummed out.

"Hi. I think Brooke might be sneaking out the window with your baby." Nicole said, nodding her head back to where Brooke had disappeared to.

"She'll bring him back once he starts crying through the night, I'm not too worried." Haley responded, waving her hand and laughing.

Nicole smiled at her, before shifting her gaze between the two of them. "I really didn't need you to come check up on me, Haley." She said softly, shrugging.

"Oh, I know." Haley said, squeezing Nathan's arm. "Just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. And I wanted to see Brooke." She laughed, looking up at Nathan. "Nathan wanted to go somewhere that he could sneak off and hide in the kitchen, or on the roof if he didn't like the way things were going."

"I'm not going to deny that. Guy is a douche, Hales." He chuckled, nodding at Nicole, "Tell her."

"I still kind of agree." Nicole admitted, sighing softly. "Oh well, not my life to control." She shrugged. "Now can I get you two a seat at the bar or at a table?"

"A table. No, wait. The bar." Nathan said, smirking slightly. "Wait, wait, I've changed my mind. Table. Actually... The bar sounds kinda nice." He said trailed off, stroking his stubbly chin.

"Table." Haley said, rolling her eyes at Nathan. "Don't annoy her on purpose, Nathan, or I'll fire you."

"Fire me from what?" Nathan laughed, raising his eyebrows and looking down at her.

"I'll figure something out." She said simply, looking at Nicole and smiling. "Thanks, Nicole." She hummed as Nathan's step-sister led them over to the table. "Megan should be here soon."

"She's late to everything, especially now that she has a kid." Nicole chuckled, gesturing for them to sit down. "Do you guys know what you want to drink?"

"Water." Haley said, nodding and smiling up at her.

"Water." Nathan repeated, sitting down, yawning quietly.

"Alright, I'll be back with that." Nicole said, nodding at them and heading away.

"You really think Brooke is trying to kidnap Brian?" Nathan chuckled, looking over at her.

Haley laughed, resting her hand on his leg and shaking her head. "What, Nathan? You miss your little baby after not seeing him for two minutes? That's so cute." She cooed, winking at him.

He raised his eyebrows, rolling his eyes. "Don't touch me." He chuckled, lifting up her hand and setting it in her own lap.

"Woah, woah. Yes, your majesty." She said, raising up her hands and grinning at him.

He shook his head, chuckling. "Have you always been this annoying?" He teased her.

"You've never noticed?" She asked him in response, poking his bicep. "Most likely. Why do you think my parents were so eager to marry me off and cut out on us?"

"Very funny." He laughed, swatting at her hand and pushing his hand through his hair.

She smiled at him, smoothing out his ruffled hair, watching him as he studied the menu in front of him, brushing her thumb over his ear lightly. She leaned over, and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, before turning her attention away from him.

"You know, for someone who likes to follow rules, you aren't listening that well when I told you not to touch me." He laughed, glancing over at her.

"Hush." She said, shaking her head. "That rule was made to be broken." She hummed, looking over when Megan and Grayson headed over to them. "Be nice." She said to Nathan, resting her hand on his arm.

"Stop touching me." He chuckled, tugging his arm away and clearing his throat when they sat down.

"Alright, let's see that baby." Haley hummed, holding out her arms.

"People only want to see me for my baby." Megan laughed, handing Natalie over to her.

"You see my baby anywhere? People only want to see him too." Haley hummed, "The only reason Nathan sticks with me instead of with Brian is because of this ring on my hand." She joked, looking over at her husband.

"Oh, babe... That's not true..." He trailed off, before nodding his head, smirking slightly.

"Yeah, I bet." She said, rolling his eyes and smiling down at the baby in her arms. "We should've had a girl."

"There's always the next kid." He said, winking at her, resting his arm on the back of her chair, looking down at Natalie, smiling. "She is pretty cute." He said, grabbing her foot.

"All Grayson." Megan said, linking her arm through his, attempting to bring him into the conversation.

"There's definitely some of you in there." Haley said, nodding at her, letting out a deep breath. "She's adorable. I can't believe how big she's getting."

"She grows every day." Grayson said, clearing his throat and smiling at her.

"That's how it goes. Pretty soon they'll be walking and talking." Haley sighed, brushing her fingers over Natalie's head, looking up when Nicole walked over.

"Hey." Nicole said, smiling down at Megan. "Grayson." She said, nodding over at him.

"Hi Nicole." Grayson said, clearing his throat, leaning back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the table.

"Hi Nicky." Megan said, smiling up at her. "I'm loving the get up."

"Don't call me that." Nicole said, rolling her eyes, setting the drinks in front of Nathan and Haley. "What can I get you two to drink?"

"Water." They both said at the same time, glancing at each other and smiling.

Nicole nodded, before smiling over at Natalie, brushing her fingers over her head. "Aw. Maybe I should get into the baby taking business like Brooke is."

"Speaking of... Can we get our baby back?" Nathan chimed in, raising his eyebrows.

"I really think she escaped." Nicole joked, glancing towards the kitchen.

Nathan shook his head, standing up. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever." He grumbled. "I'm going to take him back. I know he misses me, I can feel it."

Haley laughed squeezing Nathan's hand when he brushed past her. "Alright, baby." She hummed, shaking her head.

Nathan followed Nicole into the kitchen in the back, shaking his head and sighing softly.

"How's your new best friend doing?" Nicole asked, looking over her shoulder at Nathan and smirking.

"I don't make the plans, I just take the orders." Nathan said, holding up his hands, walking over to where Brooke was standing, pointing out different things to his baby.

"And that's your Daddy, huh little Bry-Bry?" Brooke hummed, pointing at Nathan. "And he's going to take you from your nice Aunt Brooke."

"Give him here." Nathan chuckled, reaching over and taking Brian. "Silly kid, don't you know that Aunt Brooke is crazy?"

"Aunt Brooke is not crazy!" Brooke argued, pinching Brian's cheek lightly. "She just loves babies."

"Stop talking in third person." Nathan chuckled, turning back to Nicole. "Just go dump his water on him or something."

"Hey now." Brooke said, stepping between them and holding up her hands. "We do not dump water on people we don't like."

"Maybe I should be over it right now, but his face just makes me want to punch him all over again." Nathan sighed, bouncing Brian lightly.

"He's really not so bad, but yeah... I get it." Nicole chuckled, waving at Brian as he stared at her, smiling.

"Regardless, don't you dare pour water on him. I mean... If it's an accident, that's one thing..." Brooke trailed off. "I should go see their baby too."

"Brooke, are you missing your boys?" Nathan chuckled, shifting Brian over to Nicole, slinging his arm around Brooke's shoulders.

"So much. It's not like they didn't go to preschool last year, but this is horrible." Brooke groaned, sighing softly. "I don't know how you handle your kids growing up."

"Haley doesn't handle it well. I look at it as an opportunity to grab her ass around the house freely with no children there to yell at me." Nathan joked, smiling. "No, when Lydia started kindergarten... I couldn't stand it. But think of all the freedom you and Julian have that you didn't have before."

"Hm." Brooke hummed, tapping her chin. "Is Haley liking staying home with the baby right now? Because... Now that I think about it, I have a lot of work to get done at home."

Nathan rolled his eyes, rubbing her arm. "You can offer. I can handle him all on my own." He said, walking over to where Nicole was holding Brian, lifting up his fist and bumping them together. "Guy time."

Nicole slid him back to Nathan, "As much as I want to sit and hold this little guy, I am getting paid to be here so I might as well work." She said, sighing softly.

"I'm paying you, aren't I?" He said, smirking slightly.

"Partially paying her. Get back to work." Brooke laughed, winking at Nicole. "You guys just missed the lunch rush, so maybe once you're all taken care of, Nicole can come sit with you." She said, smiling at her.

"As weird as it may sound, hurry up. Anything to avoid weird conversations with Grayson." He joked, rubbing Brian's head. "I'm even desperate enough to talk to you." He said, smirking at her and heading out of the kitchen.

He sat down next to Haley, cradling Brian close to him. "What did I miss?" He asked, glancing around the table.

"Too much to even catch you up on." Megan said, smiling. "Just kidding. Small talk."

"My favorite talk is small talk." Nathan grumbled, "Especially when that's all the conversation consists of."

Haley rolled her eyes, looking down at her son, leaning down and carefully kissing his head, shifting Natalie slightly.

"So... How are you two enjoying three kids?" Grayson asked then, clearing his throat and glancing over at Megan.

"Three kids crying all the time? It's great." Nathan chuckled, bouncing Brian lightly.

"I have four kids crying all the time, I don't know what you're talking about." Haley said, winking at Nathan.

Nathan's jaw dropped in mock offense, shaking his head and looking over at Megan. "I told you she wasn't nice. I told you." He said, sighing softly.

"Not everyone can have the warm personality you have, Nathan." Megan joked, shaking her head.

"Don't you forget it." He said, glancing over at Grayson, before looking at Haley. "You look nice with a baby."

"Why, thank you. I've had three of them." She hummed, grinning at him.

Nathan's jaw dropped again, scooting his chair back and looking her over, adjusting Brian in his arms. "You're kidding!"

"Nope. And you just happen to be holding one of them." She laughed in response, winking at him.

Nathan looked down at their son. "I just saw a row of babies sitting there randomly, and picked up the cutest one. How crazy is that?" He asked her, smirking slightly.

"You two are acting so weird. It's grossing me out." Megan laughed, looking at them.

"Shut up." Nathan chuckled, holding Brian out to her. "You can hold my baby if you want. I guess I'll let you."

"Oh, may I?" Megan laughed, lifting him out of his arms, cradling him close. "I don't know how you two seem so sane with three kids. We can barely handle the one."

"Not barely. We're doing fine- Okay, maybe a little bit of barely." Grayson said, rubbing his neck, looking down at Brian.

Haley laughed, "Well, there's definitely an adjustment. It's very eye opening." She said, smiling over at Nathan. "We're lucky Brian isn't crying right now, because usually he is."

"Kid is a screamer, that's for sure." Megan cooed down at Brian, letting out a deep breath.

"He gets if from Haley." Nathan chuckled, reaching over and taking Natalie from Haley, smiling down at her.

Megan chuckled, winking at Haley. "Well, if he starts crying, then Nat will start crying. And then I will start crying." She joked, smiling over at Grayson.

"Sometimes you just have to let them cry it out." Nathan said, making faces down at Natalie in an attempt to make her smile.

Haley grinned at him, leaning over and pressing a brief kiss to his cheek. "He's right." She hummed, looking over to them. "And there's some challenges since you two never really lived together without a baby."

"And this is the first time Grayson has lived with a woman." Megan said, scrunching her nose at the man sitting next to her.

Grayson shrugged slightly, "It's not that much different. You just take longer showers, and your hair is everywhere, and you- Okay, it's very different." He chuckled, shaking his head.

"That will never go away." Nathan groaned, shaking his head. "Haley still takes long showers. She can spend like an hour in there, and I'm not even joking. And those new phones that are water-resistant for up to three hours or something like that, she can just take it in there and watch Netflix all she wants." He said, shaking his head.

Haley pinched his arm, laughing. "Leave me alone, Nathan. That's the only time I have a second to think without kids or you needing me, so I turn that second into an hour." She said, shaking her head. "Don't get me started on the things you still do after spending half your life with me."

"I never do anything. I'm the perfect, ideal husband." Nathan said simply, shaking his head. "Don't listen to anything she says."

Haley laughed, ruffling his hair. "I'm not going to say anything, so don't worry." She said, smiling up at him.

"You two have spent half of your lives together. That makes you sound so old." Nicole added as she stepped up to the table, setting water in front of them.

"Thank you, Nicole." Haley said, shaking her finger at her. "Enough out of you."

Nicole laughed, smiling at her, before looking around the table. "Alright, what can I get you all?"

The conversation remained light while their lunch continued, void of the awkwardness that Nathan had anticipated.

Nathan turned to Haley once she returned from calming down Brian about an hour later, clearing his throat and sending her a small smile. "Hey." He said, resting his hand on her leg under the table, giving her knee a light squeeze.

Haley smiled at him, before looking around the table. "This is his 'he wants something from me' voice. Watch me shut down whatever he's going to say." She joked, moving her gaze back to Nathan.

"I was talking to Brooke, and she mentioned something about needing to leave." He said, nodding at her and smiling. "So I suggested that maybe you would want to stay and keep an eye on things while I watch Brian."

She raised her eyebrows, looking down at their son in her arms, before looking up at Nathan. "Are you serious?" She asked him.

"Yeah, I can handle it- I mean... If you don't want to that's fine, I just thought that maybe-"

"Yes." Haley said quickly, nodding her head. "Yes, yes, yes." She said, grinning at him.

"Don't sound so excited." He said, laughing quietly, looking down at her. "Are you-"

"Yes, Nathan." She said again, letting out a deep breath and pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "Yes."

"She wasn't even this excited when I proposed to her either time." Nathan chuckled, looking around the table.

"Hey!" She responded, kissing him again, before lifting Brian slightly, kissing his forehead. "I love him so much, but my hour long showers have been cut down to five minutes, so I need the quiet time."

He laughed, nodding at her. "I know, that's why I suggested it." He said, letting out a deep breath. "You're welcome."

"Thank you." She said, smiling at him and letting out a deep breath.

"Well, damn, Nathan. What are you going to do for me?" Megan asked, crossing her arms and looking at him.

"You can give me a ride home and stick around, I guess." Nathan chuckled, shaking his head. "Can you fit me and my baby?"

"You haven't heard about our new wheels." Grayson said, glancing towards the exit.

"Don't, Grayson." Megan said, shaking her head and covering her face.

"We're rocking the mini-van now." He said, grinning over at her.

"We sold my poor little car." Megan sighed, shaking her head. "I'm a full-time mini-van mom."

"Mini-vans are awesome." Nathan argued, shaking his head. "So much space. I'm sure I can fit in the back. It's a short drive." He said, smiling. "Maybe we should get a van, Hales?"

"I think we have enough cars, Nathan." Haley said, shaking her head. "Think you can handle picking up the kids on your own with Brian?"

"Haley, come on." Nathan said, winking at her. "I'm a super dad." He said, brushing his fingers through his son's soft hair. He looked over as some more people walked into the cafe. "Well, Haley. Why don't you go relieve Brooke, I'll go move the car seat into their car, and then I'll run back here and leave the keys with you."

"I can go with you." Megan said, standing up and smiling, taking the keys from Grayson, grabbing onto Nathan's arm, tugging him to his feet.

Nathan shifted slightly as they walked, glancing down at her. You'd think after a year of their parents being married, he wouldn't still feel so... Weird around her without Haley with him. He cleared his throat, rubbing his neck.

"What are you plans after this?" He asked her, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Gray has some stuff to do so I was just going to entertain Natalie and try to keep her quiet." Megan hummed, waiting as Nathan unlocked his car.

"You can hang out at my house, if you want. Haley won't be there, but then you can let your baby scream freely, because odds are, mine will already be doing so." He suggested, removing the other half of the carseat, glancing over at her.

"You want me to come hang out with you." Megan stated, grinning slightly.

"I didn't say that." Nathan said quickly, following her towards her car.

"Aw, big brother!" Megan said, turning and throwing her arms around his neck. "I would love to come hang out with my favorite brother in the whole world."

"Stop it." He groaned, hugging her back for a brief moment, before removing her arms from around his neck. "Don't make it a big deal."

"It is a big deal. We're becoming best friends, aren't we?" She asked him, stepping up to her van and opening it. "Go and get it all ready right there. You can squeeze yourself into the back. Or I can, whatever works best for you."

"We aren't best friends." Nathan said, chuckling quietly. "I already have a best friend."

"Oh, you baby. You can have more than one best friend. I named my kid after you." Megan pointed out, crossing her arms.

"Shit, your baby's name is Nathan?" He asked, beginning to strap in the seat, glancing over at her.

Megan kicked her foot against his calf lightly, rolling her eyes. "No, you jerk. Same initials though."

"Still think you should've named her Naley." He grumbled, shaking his head.

"Then people would think that I'm obsessed with America's favorite couple." She pointed out.

"We aren't America's favorite couple." He said, shaking his head.

"I saw a picture of you two in a magazine, kissing with the caption: America's Favorite Couple keeps it hot after having their third child." She responded, laughing quietly.

"Yeah, whatever. Try the world's favorite couple." He joked, shaking his head.

"Who doesn't love a story that gives every parent a heart attack whenever they hear about it?" She laughed, poking his back lightly.

"It gives me chest pains and I'm half of it." Nathan chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"Me too, and I've experienced you two. But if my daughter came to me in sixteen years asking to get married, I don't know what I would do. Probably freak out." Megan chuckled, sighing softly.

"Haley's parents were different, and come on, it's Haley. I'm not sure she's made an impulsive decision in her whole entire life." He laughed, glancing over at her. "I would probably react more like my parents did."

"Most people would." Megan responded, smiling at him.

"Yeah." He said, letting out a deep breath and stepping back, pushing the button to close the door, turning to look at her. "And by the way, you are obsessed with us. So no one would question why you named your daughter after us."

"You wish." Megan chuckled, shoving him lightly and rolling her eyes.

Nathan laughed, shaking his head. "Haley and I can't help it, we're amazing and we can't help who else thinks that. I just didn't know my own family thought I was that great." He joked, heading back towards the cafe.

"Shut your mouth." She responded, jabbing her elbow into his side.

"Ouch." Nathan said, rubbing his ribcage. "Just because you're tougher than me doesn't give you permission to beat me up."

"I'm not tougher than you." Megan said, shaking her head.

"Um, yeah, you are." He said, slinging his arm around her shoulders, beginning to limp, causing her to carry some of his weight. "You've given birth, which is something I have no desire to ever do because it's painful, so I hear."

"What, all the screaming gave that away?" She asked him sarcastically, shaking her head.

"A little." He chuckled, pulling open the door, pausing to hold it for her, clearing his throat and nodding.

"Thanks, brother." Megan hummed, ruffling his hair, skipping inside.

Nathan shook his head, stepping inside and smiling at Haley, who had passed Brian onto Brooke and was currently talking to a customer, gesturing her hands over in the direction of their son.

He followed Megan back over to where Grayson was awkwardly talking to Nicole as she cleared off the table.

"Finally, someone who will be mean to me. I can't handle all the niceness that makes up your sister." Nathan said, smirking over at Megan.

"Yeah, you wish I even had the time to be nice to you. Working here is not as easy as I thought it would be. People actually come here to eat." Nicole grumbled, shaking her head.

"Shocking, I know." Nathan said, glancing over at Haley again, smiling slightly when he met her eyes, before she smiled at him and looked away. "Haley is nicer than Brooke, I promise. If it's not busy, then just talk about Brian, and she'll probably say screw it and close early." He said, pausing. "Well, maybe wait a couple of hours before you bring him up. It won't work if you do it right away."

"I don't blame her, I heard him crying a little while ago, and I don't know how you all do the parent thing, I won't have the patience for it." She said, shaking her head and sighing softly. "I prefer to be the fun aunt."

"Somehow, I doubt that." Nathan chuckled, taking the mess from her. "You can hold her, I'll clean this us. I'm a pro. But I'm leaving the dishes for you." He said, smirking slightly, heading into the back.

When he came back out, Haley had finished up, and was now taking Brian back from Brooke, waving her hand towards the door. He waved at Brooke as she waved at him, before hurrying out the door.

He chuckled quietly to himself, walking over to his wife. "This is where we part." He said, letting out an overdramatic sigh. "What will you do without a crying baby on one shoulder, and a sleeping husband on the other?"

"Wouldn't that equal two crying babies?" Haley teased him, winking at him.

"You're funny." He said, shaking his head. "All these jokes, Hales. Why don't you try your hand at stand up comedy?"

"Oh, now you're the funny one." She responded, passing their baby over to him, pressing a kiss to his forehead, gently brushing her fingertips over his stomach. "Goodbye my sweet boy." She said softly, kissing his cheek. "Be good."

Nathan smiled, letting out a deep breath. He definitely still felt weak in the knees watching his woman with their children. She was a gift to this earth.

Haley stood on her toes, kissing him briefly. "Mm... Bye Nathan. Call me if you need anything." She said softly, resting her hands on his cheeks and kissing him once more. "Try not to give him a pacifier, we don't want to make it a habit." She reminded him.

Nathan nodded his head, "Of course. Call me if you need me to pretend like I broke an arm or something to get out of working."

"Are you kidding? I'm so excited to be back at work." She chuckled, gripping Brian's foot. "By the way, Brooke is going to pick up Jamie and Lydia. Just to make it easier on you. That way you can change back into your pajamas and lounge all day."

He laughed, "You already ruined that by making me go to this stupid lunch. And now somehow I talked myself into inviting Megan over. Wish me luck." He said, shaking his head.

Haley smiled, rolling her eyes. "Good luck. Love you." She said, kissing Brian's head again, before stepping away. "I have to get back to work. Send Nicole over here too. No more baby holding for Karen's Cafe. We've met our quota for the day." She laughed, brushing the back of her hand over his cheek, before heading into the kitchen.

Nathan watched her go, smiling at her and letting out a deep breath, before his eyes flickered to Brian. "Guy time. Sweet. Except now I invited Megan and Natalie over. Never mind." He chuckled, turning and heading back over to them.

xxxx

"So... Wait... Which one of these people is Gossip Girl?" Nathan asked, clearing his throat and looking over at his step sister, raising his eyebrows.

Megan looked at him, adjusting the bottle in Natalie's mouth. "Ugh, Nathan. Would you just pay attention? You won't know who it is just based on the first episode."

"This is a series?" He groaned, shaking his head. "I thought it was a movie."

"Nope, you're going to get addicted and then you'll keep watching and find out." She hummed, looking up at the screen.

"No." He complained, sighing softly. "Let's just skip to the last episode."

"Absolutely not." She responded, "Just watch. It's interesting." She told him, nodding at the screen.

"What's that person's name?" He asked, pointing at the screen.

"Shut up, Nathan." Megan groaned, glaring over at him. "Just watch. I played your stupid video game with you, now we get to watch my show."

"We didn't get to play for that long, because my baby started crying." Nathan grumbled, rolling his eyes and slouching down, resting his foot on the edge of the swing that Brian was sitting in, rocking it slowly, smiling at his son as he reached up to try and grab the little animals hanging above his head.

"Stop watching him, and you'll stop asking questions." Megan said, nudging him softly, glancing over at Brian. "Okay, he's cute." She laughed, smiling at him. "Oh, look at him try to reach up and grab them. His little hand is so cute."

"So much better than the show." Nathan said, standing up from off the couch, sitting on he ground next to his son, looking down at him. "He's the cutest kid on earth."

Megan, kicked his shoulder lightly, nodding down at her own child. "How dare you." She said, shaking her head.

"Damn, stop kicking me and hitting me. I haven't been exercising as much, I'm soft." He chuckled, reaching over and picking up Brian, smiling at him, before his face scrunched and he started crying loudly.

Nathan sighed softly, quickly setting him back down. "Alright, alright. Message received." He grumbled, rolling his eyes when he calmed down again.

"Shh." Megan shushed him, bouncing Natalie carefully, keeping her gaze on the TV. "When Nate is on the screen, we don't talk. At all. Ever."

Nathan looked over at her, rolling his eyes and slouching down on the couch. "I miss Haley." He sighed, "She would let me watch whatever I wanted to watch."

"You've been away from her for like two hours, Nathan. Breathe a little." She laughed, grinning over at him.

"I can still miss her." He pointed out, shrugging slightly. "She's a hell of a lot more fun that sitting here watching this show."

"Take that back." She responded, leaning back into the couch. "Just kidding."

"I wonder how she's holding up." He said, brushing his fingers through his hair.

"I'm sure she's fine." Megan said, looking over at him. "You really do miss her? After two hours? Haven't you been spending like all day and all night together for the past month?"

"She's my wife." Nathan laughed, looking up at the TV. "Look, Nate is on. No more talking."

"That's not Nate!" She groaned, rolling her eyes and turning her attention back up to the television.

He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and leaning back, stretching his legs out, watching the TV for a little while, before his eyes fell shut, his head leaning to the side, resting against his shoulder.

After falling asleep for awhile, he was woken up to the front door opening and closing. He got set on attempted to help them do their homework with Megan's help, leaving her to help Jamie while he worked with Lydia. She stayed for a little while longer, commenting on Nathan's pro parenting skills as he gave his children the option of Mac and cheese, ramen noodles, or cereal for dinner, before Grayson came and picked her and Natalie up a short while later.

Haley stepped into the house close to eight o'clock that night, a small smile on her face as she saw Nathan standing at the kitchen sink, scrubbing the dishes that had slowly been building up from the morning. She let out a deep breath, walking up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, letting her head rest against his back, her eyes falling shut.

Nathan smiled, glancing over his shoulder at her. "Hey you." He said softly, taking a moment to rest his hand on hers, before setting the bowl he was washing to the side. "I wasn't expecting you until later."

"Mhm." She hummed, nuzzling her nose into his shirt, sucking in a deep breath. "I missed you." She said, gripping his t-shirt lightly.

"You missed your baby." He chuckled, rolling his eyes and nodding towards the living room, where Lydia was sitting next to him while he laid on the ground, handing him some toys and pointing up at the movie they were watching together.

"Those toys don't have-" Haley began, being cut off by Nathan.

"Pre-approved by yours truly. No small pieces, perfectly baby safe." He hummed, leaning over and setting the bowl in the dishwasher.

"You're the sexiest man on earth." Haley laughed, "Telling me about all your baby safety. Damn, that's hot." She joked, tapping her fingers on his stomach.

"Oh yeah? Wait until you here what I fed them for dinner." He laughed, smirking slightly.

"I'm not sure I can take it." She said, rolling her eyes and smiling.

"Cereal." He responded, washing off the next bowl in the sink.

Haley held back laughter as she let out a fake, quiet moan into his back. "My domestic husband, take me now." She said, laughing and pressing a kiss to his shoulder blade.

Nathan laughed, glancing over his shoulder at her. "You're such a dork." He said, shaking his head.

"Mhm. But you're stuck with me." She reminded him, closing her eyes and hugging him close to her.

He smiled brushing his fingertips over her arm, setting the final dish in the dishwasher, turning around and looking down at her. "You love me today."

She laughed, standing on her toes and kissing him softly. "I love you every day, Nathan."

"Every day?" He questioned her, kinking one eyebrow and laughing. "Really?"

"Three hundred and sixty-five days a year." She said, rubbing her hands up his back.

"What about on leap years?" He asked her, laughing quietly.

"Three-sixty-five." She teased him, winking up at him, grinning.

"Mean." He laughed, letting his hands rest on her waist, pulling him closer to her.

"Only kidding, baby." She responded, moving to kiss him again, but he turned his head away.

"So mean." He said, shaking his head. "I can't take it. I'm offended."

"Okay, okay. I love you every day, even in leap years. Even when you're being annoying." She teased him, smoothing out his shirt.

"Yeah, well I love you three hundred an seventy five days a year." He said, winking at her.

"Impossible." She said, shaking her head and smiling up at him.

"Huh. Well I guess that means I love you an impossible amount." He responded, smirking slightly.

She let out a deep breath, standing on her toes and kissing him again. "After all these years, you're still coming up with new ways to charm me." She said, moving her arms up to wrap around his neck.

Nathan shrugged, "It works with my other girlfriends too." He said, nodding down at her.

"Moment over." She laughed, falling back onto her heels and pushing him away.

He grabbed her hand, pulling her into him and kissing her again, his arms wrapping around her body easily, pulling her in closer to him.

Haley smiled slightly, her eyes falling shut. She wrapped her arms around him, letting herself relax into him, her fingers playing with the hair on the nape of his neck.

They broke apart when the sound of their oldest child's most annoying friend spoke to them.

"Hubba, hubba." Chuck said, a small grin on his face.

Nathan blew out a deep breath, glaring over at him. "Hey Chuck. Go home." He said, shaking his head.

"No can do. Jamie just invited me over." Chuck said, nodding at him.

"It's eight. Too late for you to be here." Nathan said, rolling his eyes.

"Already here." Chuck said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'll be upstairs if you need me."

"We won't." Haley said, watching him head up the stairs, shaking his head. "Did he even ask if Chuck could come over?"

Nathan shook his head in response, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Nope. He's been in a mood." He said, shrugging slightly. "It's whatever. We can just kick him out in a little while."

"By kick him out, you mean take him home, right?" She said, smoothing her hand over his chest.

"Maybe." He said, smiling at her. "We can probably call his mom and she'll come pick him up."

"No thanks." Haley said, shaking her head, turning away from him.

Nathan laughed, reaching forward and hooking his finger into her back pocket, pulling her over to him once again, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Stop holding a grudge it's been years."

"Leave me alone, Nathan." Haley said, leaning back into his chest.

"I will take him home in an hour." He laughed, kissing the top of her head.

"Mama! Come play with me!" Lydia called out from the living room, standing up and waving her over.

Haley looked over, smiling and nodding at their daughter, before moving her gaze back over her shoulder to Nathan. "Thank you." She hummed, turning around and patting his cheek.

Nathan laughed, nodding down at her. "You're funny." He said, winking at her.

She rolled her eyes in response, pushing him lightly. "Goodbye, husband. Please pick up my baby from off the ground." She said, heading over to Lydia, gesturing to where Brian was laying on the ground.

Nathan nodded, watching her head towards the stairs with their daughter, "Haley." He called out, clearing his throat, smiling slightly when she paused. "I need your help with something later."

Haley raised her eyebrows, nodding her head and smiling at him. "You've got it, babe." She said, winking at him before following Lydia.

Nathan walked over, picking up Brian and taking a seat on the couch. "I know what you want to do, buddy. You want to watch some of last year's basketball season to prepare for the upcoming season." He hummed, picking up the TV remote and grinning, settling back against the couch, cradling his son close to him.

xxxx

Haley found herself smiling for the millionth time today as she stepped back into the house from taking Chuck home, hanging up her keys and walking into the living room, and looking down at the man whom she loved dearly, but today he had her feeling some type of way.

He was asleep, his head turned slightly to the side, probably from falling asleep watching the basketball game that was still playing quietly in the background, and their son was asleep on his chest, his hands rested on his sides to keep him stable, looking rather large compared to the size of Brian.

She took a seat on the small space on the couch near his waist, gently brushing her hand down his thigh, once again beginning to admire him. Her man could wear basketball shorts like no one else had before.

People would often tease him and tell him that he was "whipped." But the truth was... She was just as whipped. He was her everything, the thing that held her together every day, and just seeing him asleep, looking so peaceful, brought tears to her eyes at the moment. It had been too long since she'd sat and appreciated everything he did for her. He joked with her about her being a superhero, when he was just as heroic, if not more.

She smoothed her hand over Brian's back, before resting her hand on the side of Nathan's face, rubbing her thumb over the stubbly cheek.

"Nathan." Haley said quietly, picking up the remote and shutting off the TV. "You want to head to bed?"

Nathan blinked his eyes open quickly, looking up at her, before looking down at Brian. "Was I asleep?" He asked her quietly.

She laughed, nodding and standing up, carefully removing the baby from his chest, resting his head against her shoulder, tapping his back methodically. "Mhm." She hummed, smiling at him.

He sat up slowly, "Shit, what time is it? I was supposed to take Chuck home." He groaned, rubbing his neck.

"I did it." She laughed, nodding towards the stairs. "Come on, handsome. Let's get you to bed."

He sighed softly, standing up slowly. "Sorry, Haley." He said softly, stretching his arms above his head.

She laughed, shaking her head. "Rough day, daddy?" She asked him, winking at grinning at him.

He laughed, rolling his eyes. "Not really. Pretty easy. I keep falling asleep though." He said, sighing softly.

"We'll now you can go upstairs and sleep the night away." She assured him, nodding her head.

"I can't. I have some work to do. Remember, I need your help." He said, letting out a deep breath.

"Right." She said, smiling slightly. "Well, you head up there. I'm going to feed Brian and turn off all the lights, check on the kids and then I'll see you in there."

"Alright, don't be too long." He said, kissing her head and pushing his hand through his hair, before heading up the stairs.

Haley walked into their room a short while later, raising her eyebrows at Nathan sitting on their bed, paper around him, his laptop in his lap.

"Serious business, hm?" She asked him, setting Brian down in his crib carefully, nodding over at him.

"Kind of." He chuckled, "I need my tutor for a little bit, not my wife."

She laughed, nodding her head and retrieving her glasses out of the bedroom, moving to sit next to him on the bed, collecting some of the papers. "What exactly are we doing?"

"Well as you know, Clay and I have been having some issues lately with one of our clients." Nathan chuckled, looking over at her. "The glasses? Now I might need my wife because damn, you are-"

"Stop it." Haley laughed, shaking her head. "Focus, Nathan. Continue."

"Okay, so here's some of her numbers, and basically I need you to tell me if she's worth the trouble. I guess we should've taken a look at her record a little closer, because like you, she's been to jail a couple of times for petty little things." He informed her, reaching over and picking up a different paper. "This is how much it costs each time she's been bailed out." He said, handing it to her, before grabbing a different one. "This is how much she makes, and how much she's paying us."

She looked down, pushing her glasses onto her face, examining the pages he'd just handed her, before looking back at him. "So, you want me to tell you what to do." She finished, raising her eyebrows.

"Pretty much, yeah." He said, sighing softly. "You're smart." He shrugged, grabbing another paper. "Oh, and this is how much she could potentially make in the next two years if we continue to pursue. The thing is, if we drop her, someone else will most likely pick her up again."

She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, letting out a deep breath. "Okay, give me a second." She said, looking over the papers.

"Who thought we'd be doing the numbers in our bed, rather than doing each other?" Nathan chuckled, looking down at his laptop, chuckling quietly.

Haley glanced over, raising her eyebrows. "Are you Facebook messaging Clay?" She asked, laughing.

"Yeah, I left my phone downstairs." He said, shrugging slightly. "This is easier than getting up."

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head and leaning back, letting out a deep breath.

Nathan waited patiently while she looked over them, watching clips of her swimming, letting out a deep breath. "And this is her, if you want to watch. She's so fast."

She glanced at the screen, shaking her head and picking up his hand once it came to rest on her leg, moving it off. "No touching. You wanted your tutor, not your wife. Just think about how you held yourself back before we were dating."

"I'll call Peyton and see if she wants to hook up." Nathan joked, crossing his arms.

"Funny." She said flatly, shaking her head and sighing softly.

It was quiet for a few moments, before she finally spoke up.

"Before I tell you what I think, I want you to tell me what you think." She said, clearing her throat and looking over at him.

Nathan groaned, looking at her. "Baby." He said, shaking his head and sighing.

"I'm not just going to tell you what to do, Nate." She laughed, poking his arm. "I never just told you the answers when I was your tutor, did I?"

He let out an exaggerated sigh, shaking his head. "What if I promise to-"

"No." She said simply, shaking her head.

"What if I-"

"Nope."

"You did it once in high school, when I-"

"No, Nathan."

"Haley." He whined, shaking his head. "I don't know. Sometimes they end up being drunk jerks that almost killed my son and friend." He said, leaning back.

"And sometimes they end up being jerks that become your husband." Haley said, sending him a small smile. "It goes both ways, Nathan."

"So you think we should keep her signed?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"What do you think?" She questioned him in response.

"I think you look really hot in your glasses." He said, taking the papers from her hands, tossing them to the side.

"Focus." She said, sighing softly.

"I am focused." He said, leaning over, pressing light kisses to the side of her neck.

"Doesn't really seem like it." She said, letting her eyes flutter shut, tilting her head to the side.

"I'm focusing on my wife." He said, brushing his fingers up her arm, smirking slightly.

Haley pushed him away carefully, shaking her head. "I'm not your wife right now." She said, holding up her left hand, pulling the ring off her finger.

He raised his eyebrows, laughing and rolling his eyes. "Yikes."

"Well, I'm actually going to keep this on." She said, putting his back on. "That was a little dramatic. I'm still your wife. But you asked me for help, and I'm trying to help you."

"Fine." He sighed, resting the papers back in her lap. "I think she's very talented, but she's wild. And she's young, so that makes sense but if she's not going to listen to us then what's the point?"

"Uh huh." She responded, nodding at him.

"So you think we should get rid of her?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"What do you think, Nathan?" She laughed, crossing her arms and smiling at him.

"Okay, okay." Nathan sighed, looking down at his laptop. "We haven't had her with us for that long, and she's mostly been arrested for disturbances, up until this last one which was a bar fight. Her numbers speak for themselves, she's very talented."

"So?" She asked, raising her eyebrows and nudging him softly.

"So, maybe I should give her a chance before I assume that this is going to end horribly." He said slowly, letting out a deep breath. "And, if I have to bail her out of jail a couple times, then whatever. I've had to bail you out a couple times."

"Please don't compare me to another woman." She laughed, shaking her head.

"Okay, okay." He said, winking at her. "No one compares to you, babe." He said, looking her over, smirking slightly.

"Dude." She laughed, pushing on his arm lightly. "Whatever."

"My point is, it doesn't matter if I have to bail her out a couple times, because she has potential to get her act together, and she's very talented and she at least deserves a chance." He said, nodding slowly. "Is that what you were going to say?"

"Pretty much." She said, shrugging her shoulders and smiling at him. "Is there anything else you want to talk about or want help with?"

Nathan smirked at her, raising his eyebrows. "What are you, my tutor or my shrink?" He asked her.

Haley felt her heart flutter. He always knew exactly what to say to her to make her feel herself fall deeper in love with him.

"Whatever you need." She responded, shifting herself slightly, tossing the papers to the side and hooking her leg over his lap, kissing him.

Nathan rested his hands on we waist, closing his eyes and smirking slightly, tugging her closer to him.

She rocked up onto her knees to get better leverage, hooking her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair, kissing him deeper.

Haley started to pull back a few minutes later when crying filled their room, only to be stopped by Nathan biting down on her bottom lip, his hands reaching up and pushing her face back into his for not nearly enough time, before he released her slowly.

She rested her head against Nathan's, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath, attempting to control her breathing.

"He had a good night last night, this one will probably be hell." Nathan said in between breaths, sliding his hand down her side carefully, glancing over at their crying baby.

"Yep." She responded, closing her eyes.

"You know... He didn't cry once while we were watching basketball. We could give that a shot?" He suggested, looking up at her.

Haley laughed, glancing over at the clock and shrugging. "He's your kid. Might as well try it." She laughed, standing up carefully, walking over and picking up Brian, her gaze moving back to Nathan. "I'll see you downstairs?"

"See you downstairs. We can break out the good candy that we hide from our kids." He responded, smirking slightly.

She laughed, nodding.

"Already on it."


	62. Chapter 62

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **I am so sorry that it's been so long since I've updated any of my stories. I've been busy, and words haven't been flowing super easy for any of them. I'm sorry again!**

 **Chapter 62**

Nathan raised his eyebrows as he stepped into the quiet house, looking around. He had fully expected to come home to a stressed out wife, holding a screaming baby, and then planned to take him from her, and send her off to take a nap since she had been so kind to let him play basketball with his brother.

"It's quiet in here." Lucas stated the obvious as he followed Nathan into the house, looking around as well.

Nathan shoved the basketball he was holding under his arm into his brother's chest. "Yeah." He said, heading into the kitchen, pulling open the fridge, grabbing a water bottle, and offering another to Lucas.

Lucas sat down at the counter, setting the ball on the granite in front of him, and nodding towards Nathan, catching it once it was thrown to him.

"Thanks, little brother." He said, letting out a deep breath.

"Work too hard today, old man?" Nathan joked, rolling the ball towards himself, dribbling it on the hardwood floor once, before letting it rest on the counter again.

"I was just thinking about the beat down I gave you, feeling a little bad." Lucas responded, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, shut up, Luke." Nathan responded, shaking his head, letting the ball bounce on the counter briefly. "What are you doing the rest of today?"

"Peyton is spending the day with her dad, they should be back to pick up Sawyer." Lucas informed him, shrugging. "So I have a few hours to kill."

"He still doesn't like me, you know." Nathan chuckled, rolling his eyes. "It's been sixteen years, and he still doesn't like me."

"Can't say I blame him. I don't like you much either." Lucas joked, smirking at his brother.

Nathan shook his head, "You'd be lost without me, Lucas. Or at least out of shape." He reminded him.

"I'm sorry, who's idea was it to go play basketball this morning? Which one of us used the excuse that his wife needed him to go back to bed after he dropped his kids off?" Lucas shot back at him, laughing.

"Okay, shut up." Nathan grumbled, walking over and looking in the fridge again.

"Where is she anyways?" Lucas asked him, tapping his fingers on the countertop.

"I have no idea, but I wouldn't risk being too loud. I don't think she got any sleep last night." Nathan said, shaking his head and sighing softly. "Every time he cried it was almost like she was waiting for him to cry, I would wake up and she would already be up and out of bed."

"I've never heard a kid cry so much." Lucas said, shaking his head. "You'd think it would settle down after awhile."

"It will, eventually. He's not screaming as much, so he doesn't really wake up Jamie or Lydia." Nathan said, pulling items out of the fridge to make a sandwich, tossing them onto the counter across the room, before finding bread.

"You should make me one of those." Lucas suggested, smirking at him.

"Hell no." Nathan chuckled, "Make your own, jack ass." He said, rolling his eyes.

"Damn." Lucas laughed, shaking his head and leaning back against the chair dramatically. "It's not as satisfying if I have to do it myself."

"That's what she said." Nathan grumbled, making himself a sandwich quickly, before dropping the contents in front of Lucas. "You have to put them away. Brian and I have been watching last year's basketball season, so I'm going to continue that without him for now. He doesn't know the difference." He said, picking up the basketball that was leaning against the elevated bar, heading into the living room, sitting on the couch, letting it rest between his feet, turning on the TV.

It wasn't long before Haley walked in through the garage, letting out a small sigh at the shouting she heard from the living room. She looked over and immediately recognized the back of her best friend's head sitting next to her husband. Of course Lucas was over.

She looked down at the carseat her arm was hooked around, glancing over again, heading towards the stairs, touching Nathan's shoulder as she brushed past them, before heading up the stairs.

Lucas glanced over, before looking at Nathan. "She hasn't been home this whole time, has she?" He asked him.

Nathan shrugged his shoulders, keeping his gaze focused on the TV. "I don't think so." He responded, letting out a deep breath. "How do you think this upcoming season is going to play out? Think it's going to come down to the Cavs and the Warriors again?"

Lucas chuckled quietly, rolling his eyes at his brother. "I don't know."

"I think the Celtics might make it far." Nathan said, clearing his throat. "I really want the Hornets to at least make it to the playoffs, but I don't think they will."

"You never know." Lucas informed him, shrugging and moving his gaze back to the television. "If I were you, I'd hope for whoever Brian likes watching the best."

"No kidding." Nathan chuckled, letting out a deep breath, picking up his water bottle. He looked up when Haley came back downstairs, letting his eyes drawing over the length of her body slowly. The second their eyes met once again, he knew what was going on in her brain, and he felt himself heat up. He was quickly brought out of his thoughts when he felt some of the water he was drinking drip down his chin, quickly removing it, wiping at his chin quickly, shaking his head at himself. Nothing turns a girl on more than showing her that you're incapable of drinking the correct way. Good going.

Haley bit her lip, her eyes moving to Lucas briefly, before gesturing for Nathan to fill the space in between him and his brother, taking a seat where her husband was once sitting.

"What's the matter, Hales? Didn't want to sit by me?" Lucas asked, raising his eyebrows and laughing.

"You smell bad." Haley said flatly, attempting to offer him a teasing smile. "No more shouting, you two." She said, letting her hand casually rest high on Nathan's thigh.

Nathan looked over at her quickly, shaking his head slowly, before turning his focus onto the TV. Lucas needed to leave. Soon.

"Where have you been?" Lucas asked her, "We didn't even know you weren't here."

"It's a good thing I wasn't, because then Brian would be throwing a fit at how loud you two were being. Or how loud you were, Luke. I've heard Nathan be louder and not wake up a baby." Haley said casually, squeezing Nathan's leg discreetly.

"I like it when the team I want to win is winning." Lucas admitted, shaking his head and chuckling.

"Everyone likes being on the winning team, Lucas. Everyone likes scoring." Haley said, staring up at the TV.

Nathan almost choked at her words. He had a feeling she was selecting her words very carefully, and that there was definitely a double meaning. He leaned forward, picking up the cold water bottle once again, resting it on the back of his neck.

"Yeah, yeah." Lucas grumbled, "And for you information, I don't smell that bad. It was hardly a work out. Nathan is sort of horrible at basketball."

"I think that's impossible. He has nice hands, quick reflexes." Haley said before Nathan could argue with him. "Plus, I'm used to Nathan being sweaty."

This woman was killing him. In front of his own brother, and her best friend. He never would've expected her to be so forward, yet so discreet. After six weeks, she must really be needing him. The feeling was definitely mutual. He really couldn't believe that Lucas wasn't catching any of this.

"Yeah, well he sucks." Lucas responded, rolling his eyes.

"Actually, I'm the one that sucks the most in this house." She responded, her hand briefly sliding further up Nathan's leg, before moving to rest on his back.

Nathan coughed loudly, blinking quickly and taking a long drink of his water bottle, shaking his head when he finished it off.

"Sorry, I had something in my throat." He said quietly, avoiding his wife's intense gaze.

"You alright, honey?" She asked him, gently pushing her hand through his thick hair.

"I'm great." Nathan responded, gesturing at the screen, then at Lucas. "I'm uh, watching basketball with my brother." He said, finally sending her a pointed look.

Lucas glanced over at the two of them, shaking his head before turning his focus back to the TV.

Haley leaned over, pressing a kiss to the side of Nathan's neck, smoothing her hand up and down his back slowly. "Brian fell asleep in the car. I'm betting he'll sleep for at least another half hour."

"Maybe if you want him to sleep through the night, you should let him stay awake throughout the day." Lucas suggested, a small smirk on his face.

Haley glared over at him, shaking her head. "You go wake him up then. But you have to deal with his screaming." She hummed, looking at Nathan and licking her lips.

"Fair point." Lucas responded, glancing over at Nathan. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Nathan said, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees when he felt Haley's hand rest on his thigh once again.

Haley was quiet for a few minutes, watching her husband as he tried so desperately to keep his focus off of her and onto the TV. Lucas would occasionally say something to him, and he would just nod or shake his head in response.

"Hey Luke?" She finally said, raising her eyebrows and looking over at her brother in law.

"Hm?" Lucas responded, glancing over at her briefly.

"Go home." She said, nodding towards the front door and standing up.

Nathan looked up at her with wide eyes, raising his eyebrows and letting out a slow, deep breath.

Lucas blinked, looking between the two of them. "What?"

"Go home." Haley said again, grabbing onto Nathan's hand, pulling him up to his feet, moving to stand in front of him, her back up against his chest. "Or don't, whatever. At this point I don't care. We're going upstairs."

Nathan looked down at her quickly, pushing his hand through his hair. Holy shit.

Lucas stood up, shaking his head. "Okay, I get it." He said quickly, "I'm definitely not sticking around." He grumbled, hurrying out of the house.

"You're insane." Nathan stated, shaking his head and looking down at her quickly. "I think you've lost it."

"We're wasting precious time." She reminded him, turning around and poking his chest. "Do you want to go have sex with me, or do you want to sit here and watch basketball?"

"Is there an option for both?" He asked in response, smirking.

She laughed, rolling her eyes and grabbing onto both of his hands, backing them up towards the stairs. "Never again."

"Then I guess I want to go upstairs."

"Then I guess you made the right choice."

xxxx

"Nathan, Nathan... My phone is ringing again."

Nathan glanced up at her, pushing her shirt up further, pressing delicate kisses to her stomach, choosing to ignore her words, and her annoying ringtone from its spot on the table behind their headboard.

Haley's eyes fluttered slightly, arching her back into him, letting out a deep breath. One missed call wouldn't hurt anyone. She reached down, grabbing onto the collar of his t-shirt, pulling him back up towards her.

Nathan had been itching to get his hands on her since he woke up this morning. She'd gotten up before him, and the kids. She was ready for the day and had breakfast made before he'd even woken up. And dammit, she was looking sexy as hell. Really he'd been itching to have his hands all over her for the past few weeks, but the need was especially strong now that he could do something about it. He scattered kisses all over her covered torso as she pulled him upwards, sucking on the skin of her neck for just the right amount of time so that he wouldn't leave a mark there, before pressing his lips to hers.

She wound one arm around his neck, pulling more of his weight down on top of her, her other hand, tugging his shirt upwards, scratching her fingernails lightly over the newly exposed skin of his muscular back.

He reluctantly separated himself from her for a brief moment, to help her remove his shirt, tossing it to the side, looking down at her, tangling his fingers in her chestnut colored, straightened hair, "I love you." He whispered, leaning down and kissing her again.

She smiled against his mouth, her hand caressing up and down his spine lightly, once again pulling him closer, her foot brushing up and down his calf slowly, arching up into him.

He melted against her when she took his bottom lip into her mouth, sucking on it ever so slightly. She knew her moves, knew exactly what to do to have him begging her for more.

He pulled back once again, grabbing her hand and pulling her up until she was sitting up, grabbing the hem of her shirt, lifting it up and over her head quickly, letting out a deep breath, watching her chest rise and fall quickly, similar to how his breathing was, before he moved to pin her back against the bed.

And of course, her damn phone went off again.

"This is the third time, it might be important." She said softly, reaching behind her, grabbing it the table. Her eyes moved to him as a smirk formed on his face, and he continued to push her downwards back against the bed.

Haley offered him a small head shake, before raising the phone to her ear, letting out a deep breath.

"Hello?" She asked into the phone, her heart jumping out of her chest when her sneaky husband started to pepper kisses down the column of her neck.

"Sorry, I didn't hear my phone ringing." She said into the phone, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible.

Nathan smirked up at her, sucking on her skin lightly in a spot that he knew her shirt would cover, watching her tilt her head back.

"Yeah, I can do that." Haley hummed into the phone, her free hand sliding into Nathan's hair. "I can pick her up, Deb. It's really no trouble."

Nathan's head shot up at the mention of his mother's name, his face contorting in disgust as he quickly moved himself off of her, shaking his head.

Haley frowned slightly at the loss of his warmth, kinking her eyebrow over at him. "Yep." She responded into the phone. She really didn't mind talking to her mother in law, but now was not the time. Especially when Nathan looked like he was about to bolt out of their bed if she spent another minute talking to his mother.

"Mhm." She hummed out, shaking her head. "Alright, I'll talk to you later. Bye." She said, hanging up the phone and looking at Nathan. "Get back to it, Scott."

"You could've warned me that it was my mom on the phone. I was prepared to go down on you, Haley." He grumbled, shaking his head. "I was hoping it was Brooke or someone. Now my mood is killed."

Haley reached over, grabbing his arm and pulling him back over to her. "Aw, come on, baby." She said, scratching her nails over his bicep. "Surely your mood isn't completely gone."

He paused for a moment, tilting his head from side to side, "Nope. It's pretty much gone." He chuckled, letting out a deep breath.

She propped herself up on her elbows, pressing a light kiss to his shoulder. "That's too bad, because you're going to get back in the mood, and you're going to like it. We certainly won't be waiting until tonight when my kids are home, that's for sure." She said, pushing him off of her, rolling on top of him.

He raised his eyebrows, looking up at her. "Well... I guess that maybe that could be arranged." He said softly, a small smirk on his face, tucking her hair behind her ear.

She grabbed Nathan's wrists, pinning them back against the bed and kissing him quickly. "Yeah, I bet." She whispered, winking down at him, letting her hands carefully slide down his arms, taking her time to admire each muscle. She smiled slightly when she felt him flex his arms from underneath her hands, rolling her eyes and laughing.

"Impressive." She hummed, ghosting her lips over his, kissing along his jawline lightly.

"Thank you." He laughed in response, a goofy grin forming on his face.

"What?" She asked him, shaking her head. "Stop with all the grinning, Nathan. I'm not trying to make you smile."

"I can't help it." He laughed, removing his hands from the spot she'd previously held them to, resting them on her waist. "You're just so beautiful." He said, grinning at her.

Haley couldn't help but smile, biting her lip and shaking her head. "Look, now you've got me smiling." She said, rolling her eyes. "Is it too much to ask that you just keep your mouth occupied rather than saying sweet things?"

He laughed, guiding her head back to his, kissing her deeply, letting his arms wrap around her waist, allowing his eyes to flutter shut, holding her flush against him.

Haley kissed him until she couldn't breathe, and then for a few more seconds. She smiled at him, before adjusting herself slightly, kissing down his neck carefully, sucking on his Adam's apple for the briefest moment, before her lips met his collarbone, gently biting down on it, which had him shuddering beneath her. She placed a mark of her own on his shoulder, sucking on his skin until it changed color, humming softly as his thumbs brushed over her ribcage.

"Haley." He groaned out, closing his eyes, smirking slightly. "You're... So... Amazing." He breathed out. His hands moved around until he found the clasp of her bra, fingers fiddling with it. He was about to undo it when loud cries filled the entire house.

Haley's head rested against his chest, blowing out a deep breath. "Dammit." She whispered, moving off of him carefully, finding her shirt on the floor, picking it up. "I'll get him." She breathed out, pulling her hair up into a ponytail, fanning off her face.

Nathan watched her, frowning and letting out a small sigh. "Maybe he'll stop-"

"He won't." She said, shaking her head. "It's okay, you sit tight. I'm going to get him to sleep for at least another twenty minutes." She said, crossing her fingers and smiling at him.

"Good luck." He grumbled, covering his face with a pillow, letting out a frustrated yell into the soft fabric.

Haley smiled at him, drumming her fingers on his stomach, shaking her head and walking over of the room slowly.

As Haley promised, it didn't take her long to put their son to sleep. Unfortunately, when she walked back into the bedroom, her husband's state was similar to that of the infant in the nursery, sleeping.

She shook her head, blowing out a deep breath. This wasn't going to work for her. He needed to wake up immediately. She lifted her shirt up over her head, dropping it to the side, climbing on top of him and straddling his waist, her fingertips lightly dipping under the waistband of his shorts briefly, before scratching her fingernails down his chest, enough to make long red lines for the time being, but not hard enough to stick around. When his eyes didn't open, she let out a huff, leaning forward and nibbling on his ear lobe lightly, before kissing the spot behind his ear, rubbing her cheek against his rough one. He didn't move, but she swore she saw his fingers dig into the bed a little bit.

"You're awake." She said, tapping his chest, rolling her eyes.

He chuckled quietly, looking up at her, letting out a low whistle. "Damn." He hummed, brushing his fingers over her forearms. "Was just seeing what you would do to me to wake me up."

"Didn't take much." She said quietly, winking down at him.

"What do you expect? It's been six weeks." He said, letting his eyes gaze over her, his hands slowly sliding up her legs. "You've got such a nice..." He couldn't decide what to compliment first. "Everything." He finished, tugging on her arm.

She smiled at him, "You've got a nice everything as well, Mr. Scott." She hummed, brushing her fingers through his messy hair, moving her eyes over his muscular torso. "Oh, baby." She said, trailing her finger down his smooth chest. "I want nothing more than to stay here and sweet talk with you for the whole day. But we have a child that hates sleeping in the other room."

"You say the sweetest things to me, Haley James." He said, smirking up at her, grabbing her wrist and tugging on her arm again. "I think we should make things a little bit more even."

"How so?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows at him, biting her lip lightly.

"Well, you should lose the rest of your clothes to start." He said, winking at her.

"That won't make things even unless you start stripping as well, baby." She said, gripping the hair on the top of his head lightly.

"You first." He said, smirking up at her, brushing his hand over her side.

She looked down at him, grabbing his hands, moving them until they found the clasp of her bra once again, sending him a small nod to remove it. She watched his blue gaze darken, and intensify, before she was met with a deep kiss.

The annoying sound of Nathan's loud ringtone going off, causing them to break apart once more.

Nathan groaned, staring up at the ceiling. "What now?" He asked her, his gaze moving to her phone.

"Not mine." She responded, her eyes shifting over to his phone sitting on the dresser across the room.

Nathan sighed, resting his hand on her waist and guiding her off of him slowly, stepping over and picking up his phone. He pushed his hand through his hair. "Shit." He said, looking over at her. "I have to go."

"No." She said, shaking her head and standing up.

"Clay has texted me fifteen times." He sighed, rolling his eyes, looking over at her. "He said there's an emergency. I'll call him back on the way there."

She walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his torso, resting her head against his shoulder. "That's too bad." She sighed, closing her eyes. "It seemed like this was a lot easier last time."

"Lydia didn't cry every ten minutes." He chuckled, closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh. He quickly changed from his shorts into jeans, pulling a new shirt around his shoulders.

Haley watched him, stepping over to him once again, pulling on his shirt, buttoning it up slowly, looking up at him. "Are you sure you have to go? Maybe we can at least jump in the shower together?" She asked him, sighing softly, flattening her hand over his chest.

"I would ignore him, honestly. But he said it's an emergency, and it damn well better be." He said, kissing her briefly. "Because you look sexy as hell right now." He said, removing the ponytail from her hair, watching it cascade down her shoulders, letting out a groan.

She laughed, gripping his collar, pulling him down and kissing him briefly, smoothing down his hair. "I guess you better go." She said, pushing him towards the door. "I love you. Hope everything is okay."

"Are you kidding? He better have gotten shot again." Nathan grumbled, kissing her once more, rolling his eyes.

She smacked his chest, shaking her head, turning him towards the door. "I sure hope not." She said, pushing him lightly. "Get out of here before we get started again and someone else interrupts us." She said, letting out a deep breath.

He grinned over his shoulder at her, looking down at his phone as another text came through, rolling his eyes. "Okay, I'll see you later, baby." He hummed, winking at her, before rushing out the door.

xxxx

Nathan hurried out of his car about an hour later, beginning to undo the buttons on his shirt. With a glance at his watch, he rushed into the house, quickly ridding his shirt from around his shoulders, allowing it to drop to the ground behind him.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted Haley standing at the kitchen counter, purse on her shoulder, car keys in her hand, fiddling with the earring in her left ear. She glanced over her shoulder at him, before turning around and raising her eyebrows.

"Where are you going?" He asked her, frowning. His gaze shifted down to Brian sitting in his car seat next to the counter, shaking his head.

"I didn't think you'd be home so quick so I made plans with Mia." She said slowly, biting her lip and taking in his half naked form.

"Cancel them." He attempted to demand, but rolled his eyes at himself when it came out in more of a begging tone.

"I can't, I just made them. What was the emergency?" She asked him, frowning slightly.

He quickly stepped towards her, pressing her up against the counter behind her.

"He was bored." He grumbled, shaking his head. "He bought a pingpong table, pushed the table over and set it up in the middle of the conference room and made Skylar watch him attempt to hit it at the wall in hopes that it would come back." He informed her, rolling his eyes.

"You stayed there for an hour just to play pingpong?" She asked him, kinking one eyebrow.

"Babe, Skylar wanted me to." He whispered, resting his forehead against hers, his fingers trailing up her arm lightly.

"Did he now, babe?" She returned, raising her eyebrows, biting her lip.

Nathan nodded in response, ghosting his mouth of hers, letting his hands fall to her hips, carefully lifting her up onto the countertop.

"I need to go." She said weakly, allowing her legs to wrap around his waist, pulling him closer to her.

"I know." He whispered, dipping his head down, kissing her neck lightly.

Haley's eyes fluttered, her head tipping back. Normally she would have some type of willpower, but not today. Her hand reached around, tangling her fingers in the hair on top of his head, pulling him further into her skin, letting out a deep breath.

Nathan smirked slightly, rubbing right hand up her thigh, nipping at her skin lightly. "Stay." He whispered to her.

"I can't." She responded, dropping her hand down to his back, smoothing her hand over the muscles in his shoulders, biting her lip.

He looked up at her, kissing around the neckline of her shirt, shaking his head. "I know that you want to stay." He whispered into her skin.

"I'm not going to deny that." She responded, smiling at him, squeezing his waist lightly with her legs.

He let out a small sigh, nuzzling his nose against her skin, resting his forehead on her shoulder and closing his eyes.

Haley looked down at him, pressing a light kiss to his head, continuing to let her hands lightly travel over his back. She looked over at the clock on the oven, biting her lip. She'd really only made plans with Mia to be a distraction, but now that he was home again... She definitely didn't need a distraction.

"I'm going to be in a really bad mood once you get home." He informed her, brushing his hands over her sides, kissing her shoulder through her shirt.

"Trust me, I most likely will be too. I'm sure Mia will be wondering what the hell is wrong with me." She laughed, lifting his head up from her shoulder, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'll tell you what the hell is wrong with me, I haven't had this beautiful body all over me in weeks."

He groaned, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "Try again." He said, kissing over her jaw.

"Sexy body." She corrected herself, kissing him briefly, before quickly getting off the countertop. "Now you can watch Brian at least."

"Yep." He responded, shaking his head. "I still think you should stay. Save me from a bad mood. I was a jerk to Clay. All of our kids are going to be in bad moods by the time you get home."

She pressed a long kiss to the center of his chest, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath, touching her hand lightly over the muscles in his stomach. "Trust me, Nathan... I really wish that I could stay." She assured him, standing on her toes and pressing one more quick kiss to his lips. "Don't forget to pick up the kids. Oh, and Jordan too. Love you, baby. Have fun, call me if you need me."

"I need you right now." He responded, letting out a frustrated groan.

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head and laughing. "That makes two of us. Call me if you need anything else." She said, waving at Brian, before rushing out the door.

xxxx

"Go fish." Nathan grumbled, looking down at his cards, then looking up at Lydia, who let out an annoyed noise, before reaching into the middle of the table and grabbing a card.

"I think you're cheating." Lydia argued, rolling her eyes, looking over at Jamie. "He's cheating."

"Cool." Jamie responded, showing little to no interest in the game that the three of them were playing, looking down at his phone resting on the table, tapping the screen.

"You heard from your mom?" Nathan grumbled, glancing over at his son and clearing his throat.

"Nope." Jamie responded, shaking his head, finally looking at his cards. "Lydia, have any fours?"

"You're cheating too!" Lydia shouted, tossing a four down into the table. "You can't ask for the card I just asked him for!"

"I can so." Jamie argued, picking up her card, laying down his matching card. "I'm not cheating. Dad, do you have any tens?"

"Go fish." Nathan responded, looking over at Lydia, who was still fuming. Neither him nor Jamie really wanted to play this game at all, but she had been begging and begging since they'd dropped off Jordan. It had started to get pretty annoying so the both of them just gave in to please her.

"You are cheating." Jamie said, shaking his head. "There's no way you don't have any tens."

"I'm serious!" Nathan said, shaking his head.

"When you have a match, you have to lay it down." Lydia said, scowling at him. "Those are the rules."

"I know how to play the game, Lydia. I don't have any tens." Nathan responded, glancing down at Brian, who was in the swing next to his chair, rattle in hand.

"Whatever, Dad." Jamie responded, rolling his eyes. "Your turn."

"Lydia, do you have any threes?" Nathan asked her, rubbing his neck lightly.

Lydia grinned at her cards, before looking up at Nathan. "Go fish!"

He shook his head in response, "You're cheating." He mocked her, reaching in and picking up a card. "Ha! Yes!" He said, laying down the three he'd just picked up, setting the one in his hand down on top of it.

Lydia stared at him, her mouth open wide, a scowl that looked very similar to Haley's on her face. "You're cheating!"

"Lydia, you can't just accuse someone of cheating just because you're losing." Jamie said, shaking his head, setting his cards down.

"Look at him, Jamie! He's cheating, you can tell by his expression." Lydia said, shaking her fist at Jamie.

Jamie looked at Lydia, before looking back at Nathan. "Are you really cheating?"

"Who do I look like, your mom? I'm not smart enough to cheat." Nathan argued with them. "Stop yelling, okay? Unless you want Brian to start crying."

"Let me see your cards." Lydia said, pointing at Nathan's hand.

"No." Nathan said, rolling his eyes. "Why would I let you look at my cards?"

"Let her see them." Jamie said, nodding his head. "Or else we'll know you're cheating."

Nathan grumbled under his breath and tossed his cards down on to the table, crossing his arms.

Lydia reached forward and picked them up, gasping. "Look, Jamie! He does have a ten! He was lying to you."

"What the heck, Dad?" Jamie asked him, raising his eyebrows. "Why were you cheating?"

"How do you know I didn't pick that up after? I picked up a three, and then I had to draw a new card, how do you know I didn't just pick up that ten?" Nathan argued with them.

"Did you?" Jamie asked him, raising his eyebrows.

"Um... Maybe." Nathan said slowly, shrugging his shoulders.

Lydia jumped up so that she was standing on her chair, pointing at Nathan. "I knew he was cheating." She yelled, glaring down at him. "I told you, Jamie."

Nathan winced when Brian started crying quietly, shaking his head. "Whatever, Lydia. It's just a game."

"Yeah, well you lied." Lydia shouted in response, resting her hand on her hips.

"What's going on here?" Haley asked from her spot behind Lydia, moving to stand at her side, lifting her off the chair, setting her down.

"Where have you been?" Nathan asked her, standing up and raising his eyebrows at her.

"He cheated!" Lydia and Jamie said at the same time, turning to glare at Nathan.

"You guys need to relax." Nathan responded, picking up Brian quickly, bouncing him lightly to calm him down.

"You lose." Lydia said, picking up the cards from the table, letting out a deep breath, glaring at him.

"Fine. I don't care." Nathan grumbled, resting Brian's head against his shoulder, patting his back.

"Hey, have you two started your homework yet?" Haley asked, crossing her arms and looking back and forth between them.

"He didn't tell us to." Lydia said, pointing at Nathan again. "We were playing a game and he cheated."

"Alright, I'll take care of it. Go get your backpack, and sit at the kitchen counter. Now. It's five o'clock." Haley said, finishing stacking the the cards, placing them back into the box.

"I'll do it in my room." Jamie said, standing up, picking up his backpack from the couch, heading up the stairs quickly.

"Me too." Lydia said, picking up her backpack and following Jamie's acts.

Haley grabbed onto her backpack, shaking her head. "Oh no you don't. Kitchen. Go." She said, nodding her head back towards the kitchen, watching her stomp in the desired direction.

She looked back over at her husband, raising her eyebrows. "What was that about? Cheating?"

"I cheated in go fish, because I just wanted the game to be over." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head.

"You realize that if you would've just given up your cards, the game would have been over quicker?" She informed him, reaching over and taking Brian from him carefully.

Nathan stared at her, letting out a deep breath. "It doesn't matter. I didn't want to play anyways." He said, shaking his head. "Where have you been, Haley?"

"Car trouble." Haley said, glancing over at him, bouncing their son lightly.

He scowled at her, leaning against the table. "Why the hell didn't you call me? Are you okay?"

"I called Luke, it was fine." She said, waving her hand, kissing the side of Brian's head.

"Why did you call Lucas and not me?" He asked her, shaking his head.

"Baby, you're not really the car fixing type." She chuckled, looking over at him.

"I can fix your car for you. I worked for Keith in high school." Nathan said, tapping his fingers on the table.

She raised her eyebrows at him, frowning. "Are you actually mad?"

"Yeah, I'm mad." He said, letting out a deep breath. "Why didn't you call me?"

"Because you're with our kids and I figured it would just be easier to call Lucas." Haley said to him, shaking her head and letting out a deep breath. "It doesn't matter, Nathan. Cool down."

"Don't tell me to cool down." He grumbled, shaking his head.

"You take Brian upstairs, alright? I'm going to help Lydia do her homework and start making dinner." Haley said, setting the baby back into Nathan's arms, letting out a small sigh.

"I was going to make them do their homework." Nathan grumbled in response.

"Mhm." She said, shaking her head and walking into the kitchen after Lydia, glancing over her shoulder at Nathan, who was stomping up the stairs. Lydia had definitely gotten the dramatic storm outs from him.

xxxx

Dinner was quiet. Everyone was slightly tense. Lydia was still mad at Nathan for cheating, Jamie was just in a bad mood, and Nathan was mad at Haley for god knows why, Brian had been a little fussy, but he was surprisingly the happiest person in the Scott house.

Haley looked over at Nathan as she walked into their bedroom. He didn't even glance at her from his position on the bed, arms crossed behind his head, watching TV with a bored expression on his face.

"So... Let me get this all straight... You're mad because I called Lucas, and not you?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

Nathan shut off the TV, standing up slowly, scowling at her. "Why wouldn't you call me? I can fix you car."

"Nathan, you really aren't the car type. I know you worked for Keith, but Lucas worked for him practically his whole life. I just thought it would be quicker." She argued with him, letting out a small sigh. "Does it matter to you that much?"

"You're supposed to call me." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm your husband."

"Yeah, but Lucas was just sitting at home, waiting for Peyton, Larry, and Sawyer to get home. You were wrestling three kids and cheating at go fish." She said, stepping towards him. "Honestly, calm down."

"You still should've called me first! I can fix your damn car." He said, shaking his head. "Jamie could've watched Lydia. I could've just taken Brian with me. Unless you don't think I'm capable of fixing your car for you."

"This is ridiculous, Nathan." She said, meeting him in the center of their room, poking his chest. "I think you're fully capable of fixing my car."

"Then why didn't you call me?" He asked her, grabbing her wrist.

"We're just going in circles." She argued back at him, staring up at him.

Nathan stared back down at her, his gaze momentarily flicking to her mouth, before back to her eyes. She was close to him, nearly pressed up against him. And that mattered a lot more than... Whatever they were arguing about.

Haley sensed it too. She noticed the way Nathan's gaze shifted from her face, to her chest, watching her breathe, before moving back up to her eyes. So rather than pressing the arguing, without giving it a second thought, her fingers grabbed the collar of his shirt, ripping the buttons open quickly.

Nathan held his breath, backing her up into the wall quickly, tilting his head down and kissing her rough, his hands moving to her legs, wrapping them around her waist.

She hooked one arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him, her free hand roaming his exposed chest, her eyes fluttering.

He held her back against the wall, leaving her lips momentarily to kiss down her neck, gripping her shirt lightly. "Haley..." He whispered, lifting his head up.

"Shh." She responded, pressing herself closer to him. "Think you can be quiet?"

"Oh, I know I can do my best." He responded, kissing her deeply, closing his eyes tightly, moving her up a little bit to get better leverage.

She smirked against his mouth, pulling him closer to her, laughing quietly as he moved her off the wall, stepping towards the door, ensuring that it was locked.

He heading towards the bed, dropping her down onto it, removing his shirt from his shoulders. "Damn, been awhile since you've ripped my shirt open." He said, climbing on top of her.

"Shut up." Haley laughed, winding her arms around his neck, pulling him down and kissing him again.

He smirked down at her, winking. "Why don't you make me?"

She smiled up at him, kissing him once more.

"Oh, I plan on it."


	63. Chapter 63

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **Honestly, I've had the majority of this chapter typed up for about two months now but have not had the motivation to finish it until recently. It's pretty long, but more Naley to love, right?**

 **I actually really like this chapter and thought it was fun to write. Nathan and Haley trying to figure out how to raise a teenager is something that I would like to see! I love watching them be parents. (Although we were definitely robbed of one on one)**

 **Chapter 63**

Nathan Scott was giggling.

It was rare, but it was like music to Haley's ears.

They were sitting on their bedroom floor, Haley leaning back against the bed, Nathan sitting across from her, her foot resting on his chest.

He was attempting to paint her toenails, and apparently having the time of his life. He had messed up a little bit at one point, and then just started doing it on purpose, and now her toes were a mess, covered in polish, and he couldn't stop laughing.

Giggling, was more of a correct term. Especially when she would shift her foot to get the blue color he'd chosen on his chest, his skin dotted with it.

Haley glanced over at the clock, chuckling quietly at how late it was. She wasn't even entirely sure how they'd ended up in this position, him painting her toenails, but she wasn't complaining at all, despite the horrible job that her husband was doing. He was so precious, hair down in his face from the lack of product in it following the shower they'd taken together.

He'd snapped her out of her thoughts when he raised her foot, pressing a delicate kiss to the bottom of it, before setting it down and picking up her other foot.

"Perfect." He hummed, glancing down at the terrible job he did, a sly smirk on his face.

"Don't kiss my foot, Nathan." She laughed, digging her heel into his chest briefly, rolling her eyes.

"Why not? You just showered." He reminded her, dipping the brush back into the blue polish, starting on her toes.

"Nope." She responded, laughing quietly. "It's weird."

"It's weird if I kiss your foot, but not if I use your toothbrush?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"I know you're kidding." She responded, "We share a lot of things, Nathan. But there has always been an unspoken rule that we don't share a toothbrush." She said, tilting her foot to get more blue on his chest.

He laughed, looking down at his chest, grinning brightly, his gaze flicking to hers. "How dare you." He said, gripping her ankle. "You're messing me up."

She raised her eyebrows at him, "Yeah, that's the reason you're messing up." She said, shaking her head, smiling at him. He looked so happy, carefree. She felt so happy and carefree.

"Hey, I have a secret to tell you." He said, gesturing for her to lean closer to her, nodding slightly.

Haley laughed, leaning forward a bit, watching as he did so too, smiling slightly at him.

Nathan didn't say anything, just looked down and smirked, waiting for her to notice him.

After about five seconds, she leaned back up, raising her eyebrows at him. "What?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to look down your shirt." He hummed, winking at her, leaning back and grabbing onto her foot.

She laughed, pushing on his leg lightly, "You're so funny." She said, leaning back against their bed, closing her eyes, listening to the sound of him laughing once again.

"You know what we could do?" He suggested, brushing one hand up her calf, glancing up at her face.

"For an old man, you have a lot of energy." She said, shaking her head, blinking her eyes open and raising her eyebrow suggestively at him.

"Don't forget it." He chuckled, taking his eyes off her foot, meeting her gaze. "We could recreate that picture."

"What picture?" She asked him, shrugging her shoulders.

"I knew we should've put it in writing." He grumbled, painting the letter 'N' on the top of her foot.

"Stop it." She laughed, shaking her foot and rolling her eyes at him. "I'm not doing that yet."

He laughed, standing up after a second. "I'll be right back." He said, walking into the bathroom. He returned a second later, holding white fingernail polish in his hand, sitting down in front of her once again.

"What are you doing now?" She asked him, smiling at him.

"I'm having a good time." He informed her, resting both of her feet in his lap. "Forget Peyton, I should be an artist." He joked, picking up the white polish. "Watch the master."

Haley watched him, not what he was doing, but watched his face. He was concentrated, focusing hard on her toes. She couldn't care less what they looked like, or what he did to them, or what she would have to do to fix them. He was happy. She felt kind of silly, being all crushed out on her own husband. He was definitely crushworthy though.

He pulled his hands away, meeting her gaze and nodded his head. "Voila." He hummed, resting his arms behind him, leaning back.

She looked down, laughing. He's written a sloppy, '23' on her big toe, shaking her head. "Good job." She said, winking at him.

"You think?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows, smirking slightly.

"Oh, definitely." She said, grinning brightly. "My turn."

"Oh, no you don't." He laughed loudly, before covering his mouth. "Too loud. Sorry. But only Lydia is allowed to paint my toenails." He informed her, shrugging.

"My mistake." She said, grinning at him, looking at his chest and laughing quietly. "You're a mess."

"We're a mess." He corrected her, tickling the bottom of her foot, smirking slightly.

Haley slowly tugged her foot away from him, pulling her knees closer to her chest. "I love you." She informed him, smiling slightly.

He smiled at her, nodding his head. "I love you too, Haley." He said, wiping at some of the blue on his chest. "I miss having fun with you. Not that we don't have fun, I just... I like this."

She nodded her head, sticking her legs back out, poking his leg lightly. "Are you happy?"

"I'm so, so happy. I don't know if it's possible for me to be any happier than I am right now." He said, looking around their bedroom, before his eyes settled on her. "Are you?"

"I'm very happy." She hummed, "I think that we have the best life." She said, leaning back against their bed once again, looking at him and smiling.

"Good." He said, rubbing his hand up her shin, leaning forward slightly, letting it rest on her knee.

"Something has been up with Jamie lately." Haley said, sighing softly. "He's been really moody, and irritable."

"I know." He responded, standing up after a second, moving to sit next to her, before laying down, resting his head in her lap.

She smiled at him, brushing her fingers through his hair. "I don't know, I've never been a teenage boy. I know you were pretty moody all the time, though." She said, chuckling quietly.

"I still am moody." He reminded her, looking up at her, picking up her hand and setting it on his chest.

She smiled, rubbing her hand lightly over his chest, letting out a deep breath. "Very true."

"I don't know what's going on with him, but I have noticed." Nathan informed her, relaxing against her, smiling slightly, his eyes fluttering shut. "It's hard to be a teenager, Hales."

"I know, I know. I just want to know if there's something bothering him, or if it's just one of those phases that he'll outgrow in a few weeks." She said, sighing softly.

"I can talk to him." Nathan suggested, shrugging his shoulders lightly, turning his head, pressing a kiss to her stomach.

"Would you?" She asked him, letting out a deep breath. "Thank you, Nathan."

He smiled up at him, nodding his head. "Of course. I'm sure it's nothing, probably just going through the motions of life."

"Growing up." Haley said slowly, shaking her head, leaning back and closing her eyes.

"Stop it." He chuckled, "I'll talk to him, maybe I can take him to go work on your car with Lucas tomorrow."

"Get over the car, Nathan." She said, scratching some of the blue polish off his chest.

"I didn't say anything." He laughed, smiling up at her. "You can come too if you want to see me work on you car, grease stains and all."

"Fulfilled that fantasy back in high school. Not as hot as I thought it would be." She teased him, blowing on his face lightly.

"Very rude." He said, rolling his eyes and shaking his head, grabbing her hand and kissing her knuckles.

"I'm kidding, you know that." She assured him, brushing her fingertips over the stubble on his cheek. "You wouldn't get anything out of Jamie if I came."

He looked up at her, blinking up at her, a small grin forming on his face as he stared at her, his fingers gently brushing up and down her forearm as she stroked his jawline.

"I'd be too much of a distraction anyways." He hummed, winking at her. "I know, I know."

"You've got me pegged." She laughed, pushing his hair off his forehead.

"Can I tell you something?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows up at her.

"Always." She whispered in response, nodding at him.

"There are so many things about you that I love." He said, smiling up at her. "So, so many things. Actually, everything."

"Even when I put my cold feet on you in the middle of the night?" She asked him, letting out a deep breath.

He laughed, pretending to think about it for a second, shrugging. "Even when you put your cold feet on me in the middle of the night."

"What about when I check you out after you get out of the shower then pretend I didn't?" She asked him, letting her hand return to his chest, tickling her fingers over his skin.

"Especially when you do that." He chuckled, smiling up at her. "Even when you're being crazy."

"I'm never crazy." She said, shaking her finger at him.

"You're crazy." He responded, laughing, turning his head and kissing her leg lightly. "I love it when you grab my ass in public, or when you're bored at night and you just sort of sit on me. Or when you do that thing when we're sitting on the couch watching TV together, and you just start to scratch my back, I love that. Partly because you know I love it, and because you want to feel the muscles in my back because you love them."

"Quite the list." She said, smiling down at him, picking up his hand, resting it over her heart. "I do love your back muscles. Very sexy." She hummed, leaning back against the bed.

He grinned at her, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath, relaxing against her as her fingers lightly tickled along his chest, continuing to remove the blue paint from his chest.

"Not sure if I'll be able to save the lovely paint job you've done on my feet. I'm just going to have to remove the whole thing." She said, looking down at the bright blue 'N' on her foot, and her blue smothered toes.

"Wear socks." He chuckled, rolling onto his stomach, nuzzling his nose against her leg. "You could start calling me Papa Smurf, if you want."

Haley laughed, raising her eyebrows. "After nearly sixteen years, I'm still finding out new, kinky things about you." She teased him, tracing her finger up his spine lightly.

"I figure I've had a couple good years, you're either going to think I'm psycho and get the hell out, or indulge me." He joked, laughing.

She laughed, rolling her eyes. "Oh yeah?" She said, smiling down at him, working her hands into his hair. "Do you want to move up onto the bed? That hardwood floor can't be very comfortable for you to be laying on."

"No." He said, stretching his arm out, brushing his fingers up and down her shin.

She nodded her head, "Your hair is so soft when you don't put anything in it." She said, flattening it down on his head.

"You're the one that started putting gel in it in the first place, Haley. Make up your mind." He chuckled, reaching his arm behind him, grabbing her hand and setting it back on his back.

"Hey, I think you're hot no matter what, Nathan." She laughed, scratching her fingernails against his back lightly. "I like the gel." She assured him, leaning back against the bed behind her.

"You know, I was thinking that maybe we should start our own TV show." Nathan suggested, smirking slightly, turning his head so it was facing her, lifting it up to look up at her.

"A TV show? What the hell would we do on a TV show?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"We could call it Thoughts With The Scotts and discuss our thoughts about things." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I think that would just end up with me ranting and you just sitting there quietly, playing some basketball game on your phone." Haley laughed, smoothing her hand over his shoulders, pushing his head back down so it was laying on her lap again.

"You're right." He chuckled, sighing softly. "I have another idea."

"Hm?" She asked him, tickling her fingers up and down his back slowly.

"Maybe we should have another baby."

Her hand stilled on his back immediately, her eyes shooting down to him. "Excuse me?" She asked him.

"What, not a great idea?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You're crazy." She said, shaking her head. "Not a good idea."

"Why not?" He whined, lifting his head up to look at her again.

"Oh, lord, Nathan. Is this because you don't like wearing a condom? My hell." She grumbled, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

"Hey there." He said, sitting up slowly, stretching. "I just think we should start having them quicker. Less time in between."

"I think we should stop." She said, crossing her arms. "I just had a baby, Nathan. Like... Six weeks ago."

"Yeah, I know. But we aren't getting younger." He chuckled, pushing his hand through his hair. "By the time we hit thirty-six, I'm going to have a full head of gray hair, and Jamie will be in college. Let's just keep having them, one right after the next. Five kids. A basketball team. No, six. We need a sub." He laughed.

Haley pushed on his chest lightly, shaking her head. "You know what, Nathan. You really are crazy. I just had a baby. Brian, cute, dark hair, dark eyes? You remember him?"

"Yes." He chuckled, leaning over and kissing his wife. "Okay, guess we're vetoing another baby. Just checking. How long until I can bring it up again?"

Haley sighed softly, looking him over. "Well..." She trailed off, shaking her head. "Dammit, Nathan." She grumbled. "The blue eyes and that body are really working me over. One year, you can bring it up again in one year."

He smirked slightly, leaning over and kissing her softly, pulling her closer to him. "Alright." He whispered, kissing her again.

Haley chuckled quietly, resting her hand on his cheek, returning his kiss, letting her eyes flutter shut. She tugged him down onto the floor with her. "But you owe me." She whispered, kissing him once again.

Nathan smirked slightly, resting his hand on her side, shifting himself slightly, his other hand resting against the hard wood, giving himself more leverage on her.

Loud cries coming from the monitor on the bed pulled them apart from each other.

"Make that two years." She said, kissing him once more, sliding out from under him and standing up. "You get him." She said, reaching down and ruffling his hair. "I have to change into my mom pajamas."

He chuckled, getting up to his feet. "You don't have to." He said, kissing her forehead.

"I'm afraid so. When that door unlocks, you never know who is going to come barreling in." She reminded him, winking at him.

He rested his hand on her waist, kissing her once more. "Alright, alright. I'm honestly surprised he lasted this long, about time he started crying. He knows he's not in his room." He said, pulling a t-shirt over his head. "I'll try not to think about how you're changing out of these oh so sexy clothes into your still oh so sexy, more conservative pajamas." He teased her, turning off the baby monitor, walking out of the room.

xxxx

"Dad, why are we doing this?" Jamie grumbled as they stepped into Keith's old workshop, shaking his head.

"Jame, you used to love coming here." Nathan said, frowning as he rested his hand on his son's shoulder, guiding him forward. "Luke needs our help on mom's car."

"What's wrong with it?" Jamie asked him, sighing.

"I don't know, that's why Lucas is here." Nathan chuckled, nudging his elbow into his son's side.

"I thought you could fix it." Jamie mocked him from the previous night.

"I can." Nathan informed him, walking over to a desk that Lucas had set up in the old office Dan had added onto the shop, picking up one of the papers.

"You shouldn't look through Uncle Lucas' things." Jamie informed him, crossing his arms.

"Hey, get off my back, kid," Nathan grumbled, sitting down and reading through some of the pages. "Huh." He said, standing up. "Luke must be writing another book."

"Shocking, Uncle Lucas, the author is writing a book?" Jamie gasped, shaking his head. "Let's just go home."

"James, stop with the attitude." Nathan said, rolling his eyes and walking out of the office, stepping over to Haley's car sitting in the shop, opening the glove box and pulling out her sunglasses, sliding them on his face. He took a seat on the hood, leaning back against the windshield. "Take a picture of me and send it to your mom."

Jamie raised his phone, "Dad, what are you doing?" He asked him, laughing.

"I'm looking cool, Jamie- Hey, what are you doing? Are you filming me?" Nathan asked, pulling the sunglasses off his face quickly, rushing over. He groaned as he watched his son zooming in on his face for his 'Snapchat story.'

"Come on Dad, the people want to see you rocking Mom's shades." Jamie laughed when Nathan reached for his phone.

"Okay, Mr. iPhone, let's see how funny you find it when you play paparazzi." He said, taking the phone out of his hand, tucking it in his pocket.

"Dad." Jamie complained, shaking his head. "Give it back. We can get Uncle Lucas next."

"Explain it to me." Nathan said, nodding and pulling his phone out, handing it back over.

"I already had to explain to Mom how to use Instagram stories." Jamie groaned, sighing softly. "She posts on there all the time."

"What the hell does that mean?" Nathan asked him, raising his eyebrows.

"You know those videos and pictures Mom posts on her Instagram that circle her picture? Those are Instagram stories." Jamie said, sighing softly.

"I miss MySpace." Nathan joked around, nudging him. "I like when your Mom does those."

"Well I taught her," Jamie responded, laughing.

"Download Snapchat on my phone." Nathan said, holding it out to him. "Then I'll tweet it out."

"You're so hip, Dad." Jamie said sarcastically, doing as his father asked him.

"Hey, don't you forget it. And I have more followers that you, and the blue checkmark. So don't forget how cool I actually am, Jimmy Jam." Nathan said, smirking slightly. "Who can see that video you put of me on snapchat?"

"My followers. It's basically the same thing as Instagram stories." Jamie told him again, sighing.

"Anyone I know?" Nathan questioned him, looking over Jamie's shoulder as he downloaded the application on his phone.

"Some of you and Mom's fans follow me." Jamie said, shrugging.

"I don't know how I feel about that." Nathan said, frowning slightly. "What do you put on there?"

"Nothing really." Jamie said, shaking his head, "My friends follow me too."

"Okay." Nathan said, nodding his head and looking over at the door. "What the hell is taking Luke so long?"

"He's an old man, what do you expect?" Jamie joked, letting out a sigh and sitting down inside of Haley's car.

Nathan looked over at Lucas walked in, undoing the tie he had on quickly.

"Hey, sorry. I had to meet with my editor this morning. He could only do Charlotte, and my plane just landed like thirty minutes ago. I have some clothes in my office, I'll be right back," Lucas said, rushing into his office.

"You should be snapchatting that, not me," Nathan hummed, grabbing Jamie's phone from him once again. "No phones."

"Dad, why?" Jamie complained, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

"You're too addicted to the damn thing..." Nathan trailed off, sighing softly. "I don't want you filming this, or texting your friends about it, or complaining. Just hang out with us."

Jamie sighed, crossing his arms and leaning back in the seat, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

Nathan looked over at him, glancing down at his son's phone, before shoving it into his pocket. He looked up when Lucas came back out, rolling up his sleeves.

"Alright, boys. Let's see what the problem is," Lucas hummed, lifting up the hood, propping it up and looking inside.

"I think my car needs some work too," Nathan informed him, tapping Jamie's shoulder so he'd get out of the car, walking around and looking into the car.

"It doesn't, Uncle Lucas. He's just trying to prolong the time until he has to go home to Brian," Jamie said, rolling his eyes.

"Not true," Nathan argued, sighing softly. "I just really like working on cars."

"Yeah, if mom felt that way then-"

Nathan smacked Jamie in the chest lightly, shaking his head. "Quiet, you."

Lucas laughed, looking between them. "What's wrong, J-Luke? You seem grouchy."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Jamie asked them, rolling his eyes and looking down at the engine. "Let's just figure this out."

Lucas gave Nathan a look, who shrugged his shoulders and sighed quietly.

"Alright, well I think I see the problem." Lucas said, nodding his head. "It's a pretty simple fix, Nate. I'll show you how to do it and then you can do it at home instead of dragging my ass all the way here."

"Cool." Nathan said, nodding and shoving his hands into his pockets, watching Lucas as he works.

It wasn't long until Lucas wiped off his hands nodding at them.

"That's how you do it. There a few other things I'm going to tune up quickly," Lucas told them, clearing his throat. "How's it going, Nate?"

"Good since I saw you yesterday." Nathan laughed, shrugging. "Lydia got so pissed at me last night because I cheated in go fish."

"You always were a cheater." Lucas laughed, shaking his head.

"It was lame," Jamie said, shaking his head.

"Haley didn't like it either." He chuckled, "Who would've thought that she doesn't like it when I do things to purposely annoy our kids?"

"Big shocker." Lucas laughed, rolling his eyes. "Peyton told me that Haley told her that you got a little-"

"I don't want to talk about it." Nathan grumbled out in response, rolling his eyes.

"He was mad all night." Jamie answered, smirking slightly.

"Little brother," Lucas began, slinging his arm around Nathan's neck. "I'll always be her number one, you know that."

"I don't care, I was just in a mood last night. I was acting irrational," Nathan confirmed, sighing softly.

"I thought you'd be in a good mood," Lucas said, raising his eyebrows at him.

"Dude." Nathan said, rolling his eyes. "Not the time." He grumbled, shoving Lucas' arm off him.

"Right." Lucas chuckled, looking over at Jamie. "Jamie, what's up, buddy?"

Jamie sighed, looking between his father and his uncle, shrugging his shoulders. "Do I have to talk about it?"

"Yes," Lucas answered, sending him a playful smile. "No, but it might help."

"Madison and I are in a big fight, and I don't even know why." Jamie admitted, rubbing his neck and sighing softly. "She won't even talk to me."

Nathan and Lucas exchanged a brief look, before their eyes narrowed in on Jamie.

"What do you mean, Jame? Nothing at all?" Nathan asked him, clearing his throat.

"Well, she told me she wasn't talking to me." Jamie said, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know what to do."

"Did you try asking her?" Nathan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah." Jamie said, looking down into Haley's car. "She's never really been mad at me before. There was the one time when we were like eight or whatever."

"Well, can you think of anything that you could've done?" Lucas asked him, clearing his throat.

"No idea, I was hanging out with Chuck, playing basketball and told her that I couldn't hang out with her." He said, shrugging and rolling his eyes. "It's all so confusing. Sometimes I think it would be easier to not have a girlfriend."

"That would be music to your mom's ears." Lucas joked, nudging him.

"Did you have plans with her?" Nathan asked him, raising his eyebrows.

"We talked about doing homework." Jamie said simply, letting out an annoyed sigh.

"So you did have plans." Nathan said, nodding. "And you blew her off."

"No." Jamie argued, shaking his head. "I was hanging out with Chuck, I'm not just going to leave him. Who wants to do homework on a Friday night anyways?"

"Here, Jamie. Do this." Lucas said, gesturing down to the car, clearing his throat, stepping back.

"She probably wasn't mad that you were hanging out with Chuck, she was probably upset that you had plans with her and you texted her last minute." Nathan chuckled, smacking the back of Jamie's head lightly.

"Should I break up with her before she breaks up with me?" Jamie asked him, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, do you still like her?" Nathan questioned him, crossing his arms and nodding at his son.

"Yeah." Jamie said, sighing softly. "But I want to be able to have fun."

"She wants that for you too, I'm sure," Nathan assured him, smiling slightly.

"Yeah, it sounds like she's mad because you blew her off," Lucas agreed, nodding.

"Well she shouldn't be," Jamie huffed out, rolling his eyes.

"Well, if you don't mind people ditching out on plans, then I'm going to go hang out with mom." Nathan informed him, smirking slightly.

"Very funny, Dad..." Jamie grumbled, shaking his head. "I just don't get it, it was just Chuck."

"Jamie, you have to think about it from her side," Nathan said, reaching his hand forward and ruffling his hair.

"Well why wouldn't she just tell me why she's mad at me?" Jamie asked, letting out an annoyed sigh. "I don't care, I'm just going to let her be mad."

"Maybe it's important to her that you just know," Lucas suggested, shrugging.

"Kind of like how Dad just expected Mom to know why he was upset with her last night?" Jamie asked, smirking slightly.

"I'll take you home, boy." Nathan groaned, rolling his eyes.

"I think your Mom is good at picking up hints, and your Dad isn't very good at being discrete." Lucas joked with him, nudging Nathan lightly. "That upset, huh Nate?"

"Let's just say things weren't going as planned yesterday and I was a little frustrated by it," Nathan responded, clearing his throat and sending Lucas a pointed look. "Anyways, we're talking about you, James."

"This is stupid, Dad. I don't care if she's mad at me," Jamie said, letting Lucas step in front of him again, and watching him close to hood of the car.

"Yes you do." Lucas responded, laughing. "If you apologize, she'll probably forgive you."

"I don't think I need to apologize!" Jamie argued, sighing loudly.

Nathan sat on the hood of Haley's car, brushing his hand along the red paint. "Jim, you have to."

"Don't call me Jim," Jamie argued, pushing his hand through his hair and sighing. "She'll get over it."

"What if she was hanging out with Chuck, huh? And told you that even though you already had plans, she was going to keep hanging out with Chuck?" Nathan asked him, raising his eyebrows.

"She wouldn't hang out with just Chuck, Dad." Jamie responded, rolling his eyes.

Nathan leaned back, looking at Lucas, "Did you hear how big of an idiot I am, Lucas? She wouldn't hang out with just Chuck."

Lucas laughed, wiping his hand off on a towel, nodding. "Nothing we didn't already know, Nate."

"Stop making fun of me," Jamie grumbled, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"It was just an example, James. Cool down. It's not fun when people flake out on plans." Nathan told him, shrugging his shoulders.

"What if I just want you to listen, and not to solve my problems?" Jamie asked him, crossing his arms.

Nathan opened his mouth to answer, looking at Lucas again, letting out a small sigh and closing his mouth.

"That's what I thought. Can you and Mom just back off me for ten seconds?" Jamie asked, shaking his head, kicking at the tire.

"That's enough, Jamie. We're going home." Nathan finally said, resting his hand on his shoulder, looking over at Lucas. "Haley and I will be back to pick this up. Thanks for your help."

Lucas raised his eyebrows at him, nodding slowly and clearing his throat, "Yeah. Of course. Bye Jamie." He called to the moody teenager that was storming out of the shop. "Good luck, Nate."

"Yeah," Nathan responded, blowing out a deep breath and scratching at the back of his head. He offered Lucas a small wave, heading out of the building, walking over to his car, getting in the drivers seat slowly.

"Can I have my phone back?" Jamie asked him, letting out an annoyed sigh.

Nathan grabbed the phone out of his pocket, handing it to him. "James." He said, clearing his throat. "Is something else bothering you?"

Jamie shook his head, letting out a deep breath and staring out the window.

Nathan pushed his hand through his hair, starting the car, and beginning to drive silently.

"This isn't the way home," Jamie told him after a few minutes, looking over at him.

"I know it's not," Nathan responded, shrugging. "We're driving until you talk."

"I don't have anything to talk about," Jamie grumbled back, leaning back in his seat.

"That right there, Jamie! That's an attitude. I've been there. With every attitude, there's something else to talk about," Nathan said, glancing over at him. "So if we have to drive until we hit Los Angeles, I guess that's what we're going to do."

"Kiss off, Dad." Jamie grumbled, crossing his arms, beginning to look out the window again.

Nathan sighed, biting his tongue so that he wouldn't argue with his son, shaking his head. He handed his phone to his son, "Text mom and tell her we're taking a little detour."

Jamie begrudgingly did as he was asked, before dropping the phone in the cup holder, going back to staring out the window.

After a few more minutes of driving in an awkward silence, about a million thoughts running through Nathan's head, he cleared his throat.

"Jamie, it's okay." He said simply, shrugging his shoulders.

"What?" Jamie responded, looking at him and frowning.

"It's okay to feel worried, and stressed out. You can treat me like shit, I can take it. I've been treated worse. But don't you dare treat your mom, your siblings, or anyone else like that." He said, his voice getting low, pulling the car off to the side of the road. "So you might as well just talk now, when you can yell and scream at me without getting in trouble. Because if I hear one more harsh word come out of your mouth to your mom, well I might lose my mind."

Jamie looked at him, frowning slightly and letting out a deep breath. He stayed quiet for a couple of seconds, before breaking the gaze.

"It's so hard, Dad..." Jamie trailed off, looking out the window again. "Being your kid. Being mom's kid."

Nathan raised his eyebrows, looking at him. Well he definitely was not expecting that response.

"Why?" He asked him curiously, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

"Because! I have to work harder than everyone else! In basketball, in school. All my teachers know who I am, everyone around me knows who I am. Why couldn't you guys just be normal parents, huh?" Jamie asked him, rolling his eyes. "Why couldn't you have gotten married at a normal age? Had kids at a normal age? I don't know, why couldn't mom have not left you to go on tour?" He questioned, shaking his head. "Or maybe, why couldn't you both have chosen normal careers to go into where you don't have people taking your picture when you walk around town?"

"You've never complained about this before, Jamie." Nathan said quietly, rubbing his neck and letting out a deep breath.

"You're asking, and I'm giving because I just want to go home." Jamie said simply, shrugging his shoulders. "Do you really want to know why I'm upset, Dad? Because it's too much pressure. And then I come home to Lydia begging to play with me, and a screaming baby. And I have to watch my super parents in action, and it just reminds me how hard I have to work."

Nathan looked at him, nodding slowly. "Jamie, there's no pressure." He assured him, resting his hand on his shoulder. "We want you to be you, okay? And trust me, as many teacher that know your mom, also know me. And I was horrible at school." He attempted to joke, smiling at him. "Jamie, whether you're getting As or Cs, we're still going to love you. We'd prefer that you stay in the A or B area, but a C can slip in there easily. You don't need to stress too much. You're still a kid."

Jamie sighed, nodding his head. "It's not just school, Dad... It's everything." He said softly.

"Jamie, do you feel like we put the pressure on you?" Nathan asked him, letting out a deep breath.

"Not really," Jamie admitted, looking at him. "You two are just big deals."

"Jamie, trust me. We are not big deals." Nathan laughed, "You've seen me eat something that was in a two year old Lydia's mouth. Not really glamorous, right?" He chuckled, smiling at him. "You've seen Mom rock a shirt with baby vomit all over it, Jamie. We aren't big deals."

"Yeah, but-"

"No, James. I don't want you to feel like you have something to live up to. Maybe we've accomplished some great things, buddy. But even bigger things are coming for you. Write your own story, Jamie. Or have Lucas right it for you, whatever," Nathan said to him, shrugging his shoulders. "Wherever you go in life, we're going to be proud of you. We're proud of you now."

Jamie let out a deep breath, nodding his head. "Okay. You're right."

"Yeah, I am," Nathan laughed, winking at him. "So, don't worry about it too much, Jamie. Be yourself, don't try to be us."

Jamie looked at him again, "Okay. I'm sorry, Dad."

"I get it, Jamie. I felt the pressure too with my dad. But he was laying it on thick too. If you feel like we pressure you too much, just tell us to back off." Nathan said, nodding at him and smiling.

"I'm sorry for being a jerk," Jamie apologized, letting out a small sigh.

"Apology accepted." Nathan chuckled, patting his shoulder. "And Madison is going to break up with you, if you keep being an asshole to her. So just apologize, because you know you're in the wrong."

Jamie opened his mouth to argue, before nodding his head, "Okay. You're right about that too." He agreed, smiling slightly. "I'm sorry, Dad. I really am."

"Dude, you're a teenager, trust me. It happens. When you start stealing school buses, and beating people up, that's when we'll have the problem. Just treat the people around you with respect, okay? It took me a long time to realize that life wasn't as hard as I made it." Nathan chuckled, shrugging. "Let's go home now, because I'm starving. You can teach me all about how to Snapchat on the way back."

"Now you're trying to live up to my legacy. You'll never be as good as me," Jamie joked, shaking his head.

Nathan laughed, letting out a sigh of relief that all the tension was gone, glancing over his shoulder and pulling the car back onto the road.

xxxx

"What's up Snapchat, look at how beautiful my girl is while she's drinking water..." Nathan trailed off, using his fingers to zoom in on Haley a little bit.

Haley looked over at him, raising her eyebrows, "What are you up to, Nathan?" She asked him, laughing.

"Make him stop, Mom." Jamie laughed from behind Nathan, shaking his head. "He thinks he has to say 'What up Snapchat' before everything he sends..."

"Jamie taught me how to be cool, Hales," Nathan informed her, stepping up to her and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "It's fun."

"Oh, great." She groaned, smiling up at him. "Now I have to keep track of you too."

"I'm a wild one, babe. You know that." He said, resting his hand on her shoulder.

Jamie walked over, pulling Haley into a tight hug, letting out a deep breath. "I'm going to go do some homework." He announced to his parents, nodding.

Haley smiled at him, "Okay, let me know if you need any help." She told him, rubbing his shoulder and glancing over at Nathan.

"I will, thanks Mom," Jamie hummed, heading up the stairs.

"What did you do, Nathan Scott?" Haley asked once he was gone, poking Nathan's chest lightly. "That's not the same boy that I dropped off at school this morning. He wouldn't even give me a second glance when I said goodbye."

"Just worked a little of my magic. I'll tell you about it later," He responded, tilting his head down and kissing her. "Where are the little ones?"

"Lydia is taking a bath, and Brian is down for a nap," She informed him, standing on her toes and kissing him once more.

"How was the mall?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows and smiling.

"Lydia picked out plenty of clothes for herself, and for Brian. We found some things for Jamie." She hummed, tugging on the hem of his shirt. "And, I found some clothes for you."

"No." He groaned, shaking his head. "I hate when you but new clothes for me. I like my clothes."

"Nathan, you've been wearing the shirt that you have on right now for six years." She laughed, rolling her eyes. "It's time for some new clothes. I know what you like, okay?"

"No you don't, Haley," He argued, scowling down at her. "You always do this."

"I have to," Haley laughed, grabbing onto his hand. "Come on, let me show you what I bought. You'll like them." She hummed, guiding him toward the stairs.

"I won't like them. I never do, Haley." He grumbled, following her up the stairs and to their room. He looked at the bags covering the bed, raising his eyebrows. "Did you buy the whole store?"

"No." She laughed, shaking her head. "Some of them are mine. Please, don't take any pictures and post them while I'm showing you your shirts, since you've picked up a new hobby today."

"Better than Quinn," He joked, crossing his arms and nodding towards the bed. "Show me."

"You have to try them on before you veto them, just so I can see how the fit," She informed him, lifting up a bag. "They're not all from the same place, I've organized outfits for you to try on."

"Did you at least buy me some new shoes?" He asked her, sighing softly.

"Yes, Lydia picked out some for you. But you can have them until you try on your clothes," She hummed, sitting down on the bed, "Go change in the bathroom, I don't want any sneak peaks."

Nathan rolled his eyes, walking into the bathroom. After a little while, he walked out, shaking his head. "Veto."

"What? Why?" Haley asked him, frowning. "I think you look good. Turn around, let me see how the jeans look on your ass."

"No. They're too tight, I don't like them." He said, crossing his arms. "This shirt is a color I don't want to wear. I don't even know what the hell it is."

"Nathan, it's turquoise." She laughed, standing up and touching the sleeve.

"It has stripes and I don't wear stripes that often," He argued, shrugging. "So I hate this shirt, and I hate these jeans."

Haley sighed, nodding her head, "My mistake, I forgot you literally only wear browns, blacks, blues and grays."

He shrugged, looking down at the shirt, "Can I change now?"

"Yes." She said, sitting back down and holding out another bag. "You're more difficult to shop for than Jamie is. Why hasn't your style changed at all in the last ten years?"

"That should make things easy," He chuckled, walking into the bathroom once again.

"It doesn't, Nathan! You own every shirt that you like." She called after him, laughing and shaking her head.

"So just keep buying me the same shirts," Nathan responded to her, stepping out a few minutes later.

"What do you think?" Haley asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"This is better." He informed her, nodding his head.

"Pants loose enough for you?" She laughed, standing up and stepping over to him, hooking her fingers through his belt loops, tugging on them lightly.

"Yes. Shirt is a good color too," He informed her, "I like the olive green."

"Me too," She hummed, smoothing her hand over his chest. "Fits you well too."

"I like wearing red too. I'm not that picky," He hummed, gesturing towards their closet.

"You have like two red shirts." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "But I'll give it to you."

"I have a lot of plaid." He noted, keeping his gaze on the closet.

"Yep." She responded, picking up another bag. "I bought you some more."

"You had fun, hm?" He asked her, laughing.

"I like dressing you," She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Surely not as much as you like undressing me." He stated, smirking at her.

"Depends," She laughed, pushing the bag into his chest. "I think you should start wearing more sweaters."

"Okay." He responded, shrugging and walking into the bathroom.

Haley walked to the door after a second, leaning against it. "Can you tell me what happened with Jamie?"

"I guess him and Madison are having some issues," Nathan commented from inside the bathroom.

"I knew it was a bad idea to not make him break up with her," Haley joked, shaking her head and sighing.

"He pulled a Nathan Scott move on her," Nathan informed her, stepping out of the bathroom.

"What, he made her feel loved and cherished?" Haley questioned him, pinching his chin, looking at his outfit. "I don't like it."

"What? Why?" He asked her, frowning and shaking his head. "I think the shirt is comfortable."

"I don't like the shirt. It doesn't fit you well right here." She flattened her hand across his chest. "It's too loose."

"Oh, because you can't stop staring at my chest?" He laughed, rolling his eyes.

"I like looking at your chest about as much as you like looking at mine. So I don't like this shirt. There was a sweater in that bag too, try it on." She said, nodding at him. "Back to Jamie."

"He's just flaked on plans with her, kind of, and it upset her but he doesn't think it should have so he's being stubborn," Nathan informed her, tugging the shirt over his head, handing it to her and lifting up the sweater.

"He gets that from you," Haley hummed, watching him and smiling.

"You're kidding, right? Haley, you're the most stubborn person I know," He argued, shaking his head and laughed, pulling the sweater on.

"Okay, I like this so much better," She hummed, stepping forward, pawing at his chest lightly. "Muscular and perfect. And I'm not stubborn, mister."

"You keep buying me clothes you know I don't want to wear just because you want me to wear them." He reminded her, shrugging. "Stubborn."

"Whatever. What did you tell him?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Well, Luke and I were teasing him a little bit. It's obvious why she would be upset. And he flipped, and was so pissed at me," Nathan said, shaking his head. "Told me he just wanted me to listen, and not to fix the problem."

"Okay..." Haley trailed off, frowning. "Well, how did you put him in a good mood?"

"I started driving, that's why I had him text you and tell you we'd be later than planned. I'm surprised he didn't try and say something else to you, about how I'm a dumbass or something." Nathan said, shaking his head. "And I just drove, and eventually he told me there was something else bothering him too."

"What is it?" She asked, raising her eyebrows up at him, crossing her arms.

"Us," He said, shrugging. "You and me. But it's because of our status, I guess. We're in the public eye, so everyone knows him and puts pressure on him to be great. He says his teachers know you, and probably expect him to be as smart as you."

"Oh," Haley began, frowning. "I guess... I never thought that would happen. I don't know, it makes sense. You don't want to live in your parents shadow your whole life."

"I know," He sighed, shaking his head. "He was so upset, I felt bad."

"My poor baby," Haley sighed, resting her forehead on Nathan's shoulder. "What did you tell him?"

"I just told him that we don't put any pressure on him. He can do whatever he wants with his life, and we'll be proud of him. Because it's true. And I told him that those teachers know me too, and know that I wasn't the best student, so they're probably hoping he's like you, but worried he's like me." He chuckled, resting his hand on her arm, kissing her head. "I never thought our social status would make him resent us."

"He doesn't, Nathan. You should understand that it sucks to be seen as so and so's kid, instead of as yourself," Haley said softly, lifting her head up and looking back up at his face.

"I know, trust me. I just hope kids aren't rude to him about it or anything," He said, shrugging.

"I'm sure they're not. I think he would tell us," She said, letting out a deep breath. "I hope he would at least."

Nathan nodded, smiling down at her, "Yeah. And then I told him that he needs to fix things with Madison, since it's his fault. And he agreed, finally."

"Well, I hope he stays in a good mood. And I hope his teachers aren't pressuring him." Haley said, walking back over the bed and picking up another bag, handing it to him. "This is shirt, as well as the one you have on are good shirts to wear when you take me on a date. So heads up, this is what I'm expecting." She teased him, kissing his cheek.

"You're so demanding of me. You think you can just tell me what to do after all this time?" He joked, winking at her.

"I know that I can and I will." She said simply, smiling at him. "The rest of the clothes I bought you are just exercise clothes, so I know you'll like them."

"Ahem, and my shoes?" He asked, raising his eyebrows and taking the bag from her.

"Yes, and I bought you some new shoes. I'm a great wife, I know. You can have them as soon as you're done trying on this shirt." She hummed, moving to sit down on the bed again.

Nathan chuckled, stepping into the bathroom for the last time, walking out a minute later, finishing up the last button on his shirt.

"That one looks so good," Haley told him, smiling. "Wow. Do I know how to pick 'em or what?" She laughed, standing up and walking over to him, grabbing his shirt collar, pulling him down and kissing him lightly.

"You sure do, baby." He laughed, rolling his eyes.

"Thank you, Nathan. For helping Jamie out." She said softly, resting her hand on his cheek. "I don't think I would've handled it like you did."

"Maybe we better not have anymore kids. Teenagers are rough. I hope this isn't just the beginning," He joked, shaking his head.

"Lydia has her Daddy's spitfire attitude, so she's going to be the kid to keep an eye on." Haley informed him, brushing her thumb over the facial hair on his face.

"Funny," He said, sighing. "You're probably right. We're going to have to set alarms to make sure she's not sneaking out when she's Jamie's age."

She laughed, shaking her head, "We can handle it." She told him, kissing his chin lightly.

"I think we should make this a weekly thing. Next week, I'll take Lydia and do something, while you spend time with Jamie. Brian can go with whoever is the least moody." He said, kissing her forehead.

"Good idea," She praised him, smiling. "Maybe you can go buy me something next week."

"Oh! I already have something for you!" Nathan said, jumping away from her, rushing into the bathroom once again.

"Nathan, you better not be naked or something like that when you come out of there," She laughed, shaking her head. "We just don't have the time."

Nathan laughed, returning a second later wearing his original clothes, fishing his hand into his pocket. After a moment of looking, he pulled out a plastic, cereal box looking ring.

"I found this in my cereal this morning," He informed her, confirming her assumptions.

"Oh?" She laughed, raising her eyebrows.

"It's for you," He said, holding it out to her, nodding his head.

Haley laughed, taking it from him and sliding it on her finger, "Wow, honey. You shouldn't have." She hummed, smiling at him.

"Hey, don't say I never gave you no bling," He hummed, smirking at her.

Haley laughed loudly at his mocking of Fergie in the little play Brooke put on for them before their second wedding so many years ago.

"You're such a dork!" She laughed, kissing him lightly. "I hope you don't mind, but I know that Lydia has been searching for this. Would you be offended if I asked you to give this bling to her?"

"Of course not," Nathan hummed, grabbing her hand and taking it off her finger, shoving it back into his pocket. "Maybe I should put it in her cereal."

"I'm sure you'll come up with a great way to give it to her." Haley hummed, kissing him again. "Thanks for helping out Jamie."

"He's going to be okay, Hales. Trust me." He said, smiling at her.

"I do. And I know he will be." She hummed, letting out a deep breath. "I'm going to do my rounds, check on all the kids. Your shoes are under the bed," She told him, turning to head out the door.

Nathan smirked slightly, pulling out his phone and opening up the app his son had taught him how to use.

"What up, Snapchat. Haley just made me try on some fugly ass clothes." He said to his camera, smirking slightly.

"Nathan Royal, you better not post that anywhere," She scolded him, looking over her shoulder and shaking her head.

Nathan laughed, tossing his phone onto the bed, "I won't. I'll look at my shoes later too, I'm going to go start making dinner."

"You're too good to be true," Haley laughed, smiling at him.

Nathan nodding his head, stepping to her. He leaned down and kissed her briefly, before holding his fist out to her. "See you in ten?"

Haley smiled, nodding. "You've got it." She responded, before they parted ways, Nathan heading towards the stairs, Haley heading towards Brian's room.


	64. Chapter 64

**I do not own One Tree Hill.**

 **I love updating this story. I really like thinking about where Nathan and Haley are at now. Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter 64**

"Okay, get off me. I have to go."

Nathan laughed, falling into the bed next to her, shaking his head. "Damn, baby... That makes me want you all over again," He hummed, crossing his arms behind his head, stretching his legs out.

"Yeah," Haley responded, standing up quickly. She walked over to the closet, pulling out some clothes, putting them on quickly.

"You're the love 'em and leave 'em type?" He asked, sitting up slowly, raising his eyebrows.

"You've got me pegged, honey," She responded, stepping into the bathroom to fix her hair and make up, leaving the door open so she could still talk to him.

"I feel so used," He fake groaned, shaking his head. "Come back to bed."

"You are used," She reminded him, poking her head out and smiling at him.

"At least you can admit it. The romance is still there," He hummed, laughing quietly.

"Get dressed, Nathan..." She said, shaking her head, humming softly.

"No, I'll get dressed when Brian starts crying," He informed her, brushing his hand through his hair. "I'm really that good, huh? Couldn't handle a whole day without me, so you had to come home for a noon delight?"

"Oh, lord," She laughed, rolling her eyes. "I hope there's room for me in the house when I get home, with your giant ego and all."

"You could stay," He said, nodding at her, raising his eyebrows.

"I told you this had to be quick because I have a meeting," Haley hummed, glancing out at him. "Sorry, babe."

"I thought you had your meeting this morning," He said, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows.

"Nope, I've been at the cafe all morning. I'm meeting with someone about recording with Red Bedroom," She informed him, letting out a deep breath.

"Right, right. You did say that before you tore my clothes off of me." He said, smirking and looking at her.

"Yep, that would be when I told you," She laughed, looking over at him and shaking her head. "Thank you for taking daddy-duty for the day."

"Of course, I like spending time with my guy," He hummed, pushing his hair back.

"I owe you," She said, letting out a deep breath. She stepped out of the bathroom a second later, leaning against the door frame and looking at him.

"You look sexy as hell," He said, smirking slightly.

"You say that about everything I wear," She said, shaking her head and smiling at him.

"It's because you always look sexy as hell," He reminded her, crossing his arms. "What time is your meeting?"

"Fifteen minutes," She said, glancing at the clock.

"So you have time for a ten minute quickie, then you can leave," He said, winking at her.

"Then I have to get ready again. Plus I like to be early, you know that," She said, smiling at him.

"I think that you should come home every nap time and jump my bones," He said, laughing quietly.

"Maybe I will. If you promise to do the same when you're at work," She said, walking over to the bed, resting her hand on his chest.

"I'm in," He laughed, resting his hand over hers.

"I should be done in time to pick up Jamie and Lydia from school, stay on call though," She said, smiling down at him.

"Alright," He said, nodding up at her.

"And then I'm going to bring them home, I scheduled you and Jamie haircuts so you need to hurry over there after I get home," She said, running her fingers through his thick hair.

"Why can't you do it?" He asked her, frowning and shaking his head.

"Because I don't have the time. You remember what we're doing tonight?" She hummed, raising her eyebrows.

"Dammit," He grumbled, nodding his head. "Yeah, I forgot."

"I need you to jazz Jamie up about it too, I don't think he'll be very happy," She said, leaning forward and kissing his cheek lightly. "Can you pick up the house a little bit if you have the chance?"

"Yeah," He responded, crossing his arms and nodding his head.

"You're the best. Thank you, Nathan. Love you, call me if you need me!" She said, squeezing his arm lightly, rushing out of the room.

He chuckled quietly as his wife rushed out in a hurry, shaking his head and folding his hands behind his neck, smirking slightly.

xxxx

Nathan leaned against the bathroom door, watching as she got ready for the third time today, frowning as he finished buttoning up his shirt.

"I don't get why we're doing this. I think it's weird," He sighed, looking at her and rolling his eyes.

"It's not weird at all, Nathan..." Haley trailed off, glancing towards him and smiling slightly. "Your haircut looks really nice."

"I don't think it's short enough. I should've buzzed it again," He grumbled, crossing his arms.

"I like a little on top for me to run my fingers through, but I can buzz it off tomorrow if you want," She laughed, nodding at him.

"Whatever you want," He said, stepping forward, resting his hands on her shoulders.

"That's what I like to hear," She hummed looking at him in the mirror an smiling. "You're going to have a good attitude, right?"

"We'll see," He responded, squeezing her shoulders lightly.

"I have three children to watch, I can't watch you too," She laughed, resting her hand over his.

"I can help you watch them, you know..." He said, looking at her in the mirror, shrugging.

"You'll be too busy arguing with Nicole," She said, leaning into him briefly.

"She's going to be there?" He mock-groaned, massaging her shoulders lightly.

"It's kind of important that she's there," She laughed, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath.

"Your shoulders are tight," He informed her, looking down at her. "Did your meeting go okay?"

"Yeah, it went well," Haley responded, clearing her throat and glancing over her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

She sighed, turning around and wrapping her arms around him, "I don't know," She said, smoothing her hands over his back.

"Haley... What is it?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Don't freak out..." She said, looking up at him, moving her hand to his arms, beginning to roll up his sleeves.

He looked down at her, frowning slightly. "What happened?" He asked, gripping her shoulders tightly.

"I think I'm pregnant," She groaned, resting her forehead on his shoulder.

"What?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows, wrapping his arms around her, rubbing his hands up her back. "Why would you think that?"

"I just have the feeling," She grumbled, shaking her head.

"Well... Have you taken a test?" He asked, resting his hand on her chin, making her look up at him.

"No, I've been so busy and I just haven't had the time," She said, biting her lip lightly.

"How do you feel?" He asked her, tugging her lip away from her teeth.

"I don't know, Nathan..." She groaned, shaking her head. "We can't handle another baby right now, can we?"

Nathan laughed, looking at her and rolling his eyes, "Come on..."

"What? What's with the attitude?" She asked him, frowning slightly.

"Haley, we got married at sixteen, had a baby at graduation. We've survived spine injuries, my crazy parents, kidnappings, we've pretty much covered it all," He laughed, squeezing her shoulder. "Baby, we can handle anything. Hell, if you had triplets we'd be okay."

Haley smiled slightly, wrapping her arms around him and letting out a deep breath. "You always know what to say," She said softly, closing her eyes. "But we aren't having triplets."

"I know," He said, kissing her forehead. "We're always going to be fine. You know that, right?"

"I know, I know. We just had Brian, though," She responded, looking up at him and shaking her head. "I love you."

"I love you too," He laughed, nodding at her. He turned her back around so she was facing the mirror. "Relax, Hales. Do you want me to run to the store really quickly?"

"No... I can handle waiting a few more hours," She laughed, looking back at him.

He rolled up his other sleeve, resting his hands back on her shoulders, beginning to knead the knots out with his thumbs. "You're so stressed, you better be careful. Your hair might be as gray as mine by the end of the night."

She shook her head, rolling her eyes and laughing, "Whatever, Nathan."

"I guess it makes sense, you have been especially horny lately," He said, smirking slightly.

"Nathan!" She scolded him, looking over her shoulder and shaking her head.

"What?" He laughed, squeezing her shoulder lightly. "I'm just teasing you, baby..."

"Whatever, just go finish getting ready, Nathan. Will you get Brian in his clothes, make sure James is in his, and send Lydia in here?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, of course." He said, smiling and kissing her head lightly, walking towards the door.

"Hey, Nathan..." Haley called after him, looking in his direction. She let out a deep breath, "Thank you."

He smiled at her, winking. "You really think you're pregnant?"

"Honestly, I don't know," She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"It's like I say it, and it comes true, hm?" He teased her, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

She laughed, pointing towards the door, "Quiet, you..." She hummed, looking into the mirror once again.

"I'm too sexy, I know," He grinned, stepping out of the room.

xxxx

"This is so stupid," Nathan grumbled in Haley's ear, shaking his head and letting out an annoyed sigh.

"This is what your mom wanted for her anniversary, alright? So just act pleasant," Haley hummed, bouncing Brian lightly.

Nathan set Lydia down, grabbing onto her hand, shaking his head. "Why does she want pictures? I don't get it. We got pictures at the wedding."

"Now there's two new babies, Nathan. Don't give Quinn a hard time," She said, looking up at him.

"Clay is here," Nathan commented, raising his eyebrows. He grinned slightly, nodding in the direction of where Quinn was playing catch with Logan, while Clay sat off to the side, holding Skylar.

"Boy, I hope your eyes light up like that when you see me," She said, smiling up at him.

"Even more, baby..." He said, kissing her head. He rested Haley's hand on the back of Haley's leg, nodding at her. "Stay with Mommy, I'm going to go play catch with Aunt Quinn and Logan." He hummed, rushing away.

"Nathan," Haley groaned, shifting Brian to one arm, holding onto Lydia's hand. "You stay, Jamie."

"No one is here yet. Can I just play for a little bit? I promise I'll be careful," Jamie asked, looking up at her.

"If you get grass stains on you, I might lose my mind," Haley said, offering him a small smile. "I'm serious, Jamie. Make sure Dad knows it too."

"Yes! Thanks, Mom," Jamie said, rushing away quickly.

"Why do they want to throw the ball?" Lydia asked, looking up at them.

"Because they're crazy," Haley laughed, smiling down at her. She walked over to where Deb, William, and everyone else was standing.

"Sorry we're late!" Lydia announced, looking up at them and grinning brightly.

Deb rushed over, taking Brian from Haley's arms. "Oh my sweet boy, Grandma missed you so much little angel."

Haley laughed, squeezing Lydia's hand lightly, "Hi Deb," She said, looking over at William, nodding at him.

"Hi, Haley..." Deb responded, holding Brian closely. "Hi little guy, oh how I love you..."

Lydia tugged on Haley's hand until she leaned down. She cupped her other hand around Haley's ear, "Why does everyone talk to Brian like that?" She asked her quietly.

Haley smiled at her, shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know, baby." She said, laughing quietly, before standing up straight once again.

"Hi, Grandma!" Lydia said, waving up at her. She rushed past her, hurrying over to Nicole, who was holding Megan's baby, Natalie.

"About time you showed up," Megan commented, shaking her head and walking over to Haley.

"I don't want to talk about it," Haley laughed, looking over at Nathan and shaking her head. "I like to be on time, but I married a man that likes to leave at the time we're supposed to be arriving."

Megan nodded her head, looking over at Nathan and laughing. "I like to be late usually, but I'm rushed out of the house. Guess Grayson is still trying to make a good impression." She said, glancing over to where her boyfriend was awkwardly talking to Jordan.

"At least he's trying, right?" Haley hummed, nodding her head.

"Thankfully," Megan responded, letting out a deep breath. "So I'm guessing Nathan is grumpy about this."

"He's resistant, but he's fine," Haley said, shaking her head and sighing softly. "He's always resistant."

"Keeps your life interesting," Megan laughed, nudging her lightly. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Haley responded, waving her hand and looking over at her husband once again. "I've just had a long day."

"Then call your man and your sister over here so we can all go home," Megan laughed, nodding at her. "This should be quick, right?"

"I hope so. But I'm afraid that the Scotts are very difficult when they have to do things they don't want to do," Haley said, shaking her head. "We better actually start before Brian starts screaming."

xxxx

Haley let out a deep breath, sitting down on the chair in the corner of their room, cradling Brian close to her. She glanced over towards the bed, where Lydia was laying on the bed, asleep, waiting for Nathan to get home. Because of course, she couldn't sleep in her own bed unless her dad was home to tuck her in.

She leaned back, letting out a deep breath and staring down at the beautiful boy in her arms. As he got older, she could see Nathan in him. He was their only child to inherit his dark hair. She couldn't believe how beautiful he was. How beautiful each of their kids were, really.

She sighed softly, thinking back to taking family photos previously. Deb asked for one thing, and of course, it had to be made difficult. Nathan and Nicole were making snappy comments. Quinn was having a hard time keeping everyone under control. Haley tried to keep her husband and children focused, but her mind was wandering.

Thankfully, Jamie had actually been fairly easy. He just joked around with Logan, or with Jordan while there was arguing going on in the background. Lydia whined about being hungry, Brian was a little fussy, but easy enough to calm once all the arguing stopped.

She felt like a mess. She wondered how her parents could handle seven kids, when she felt like a mess with three. Nathan was the fun parent, so he didn't deal with the attitude, and the arguing very often.

That's probably how her parents did it. They were both the fun parent. That's why Taylor got away with so much when she was younger, and why her and the majority of the siblings, had ended up being the more strict parent. Besides Quinn, and if Taylor had children, she'd probably end up being the fun parent too.

Another baby?

Of course, if she did end up being pregnant... They could handle it. Like Nathan said, they could handle anything.

She let out a small sigh, brushing her fingertips over her baby's head, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I love you, little baby," She said softly.

She relaxed back against the chair, rocking Brian lightly, holding him close to her, humming softly to him.

Nathan stepped into the room a little while later, smiling brightly at the sight of his dozing wife sitting in the chair in the corner of their room.

He set the bag in his hand on the bed, lifting Lydia up carefully, smiling down at her.

"Hey angel," He whispered to her, rubbing her back lightly.

Lydia lifted her head up and looked up at him, rubbing her eyes. "Hi," She said, smiling at him. "Where did you go?"

"I had to run to the store for Mommy really quickly," He informed her, stepping into his daughters room.

"What did you buy?" She asked him, resting her hand on his cheek.

"Some ice cream that you can eat tomorrow," He informed her, setting her down on her bed and laying down next to her for a second, letting out a deep breath.

"Why do you like to fight with your siblings?" Lydia asked him quietly, looking up at him.

Nathan looked down at her, sighing softly, "I don't know, Lyds."

"Remember when you punched Grandpa William in the face?" Lydia giggled, shaking her head. "Are you still mad at him?"

"I'm not mad at him, little bear," Nathan assured her, shaking his head.

"Are you mad because he married Grandma Deb?" She asked, cuddling into his side.

"I don't know..." He sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "Your stars are burnt out. Maybe tomorrow we can put them back up?"

"Is it because you want your mommy to be married to your daddy?" Lydia asked him, ignoring his question.

"Not at all, Lydia," He responded, sighing softly. "I'm not mad at Grandpa William, okay? I've just never had sisters before."

"They're better than brothers. I want a sister next time," Lydia hummed, shrugging her shoulders. "We can put my stars back up tomorrow."

"Okay, cool," He responded, pressing a kiss to her head. "I love you, Lydia Scott. Sweet dreams," He said, tugging the blankets up over her, winking at her and heading out of the room.

Nathan stepped back into his and Haley's room quietly, walking over to where she was sitting, and carefully lifting Brian out of her arms.

She pulled him back instinctively, sitting up quickly and staring up at Nathan. "You scared me," She laughed, hugging Brian close to her chest.

"Sorry," Nathan responded, smiling at her. "Can I take him?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

She nodded, kissing his forehead and releasing Brian into Nathan's arms, leaning back in the chair and letting out a deep breath.

Nathan set Brian carefully in the bassinet, before turning to look at her. He walked over to her slowly, kneeling down in front of her, resting his hand on her knee. "Where's your head?"

"I don't know," Haley responded, pushing her hand through Nathan's hair. "Did you buy a test?"

"I bought three tests," He said, winking at her and smiling. "I figure we do best two out of three."

She laughed, pinching his chin lightly. "I was sitting here, freaking out a little bit, you know? You just make me feel better, Nathan."

He stood up, scooting her over and taking a seat next to her. He rested his elbows on his knees, pressing his face into his hands.

She frowned, resting her hand on his back, raising her eyebrows. "What?"

He looked over his shoulder, grinning at her and rolling his eyes. "Honey, I tell you that all the time," He laughed, shaking his head.

"Well, I know that..." She said, scrunching her nose up at him. She rested her chin on his back, brushing her thumb along his spine. "You just help me get through everything."

He nodded at her, closing his eyes and smiling slightly. "I'll always be here, Hales..." He said, sitting up straight, resting his hand on her thigh.

"You take good care of me, Nathan Scott," She hummed, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"I promised your parents I would," He informed her, standing up slowly. "Okay, let's do this. I also grabbed some Mint Chocolate Chip Ice cream, a few different types of candy bars, things that you like. A bath bomb, some scented candles... I'm worried if you are pregnant, you'll be so stressed your back will be as messed up as mine."

She smiled, standing up and resting her hands on his cheeks, pulling him down and kissing him softly. "You really keep your promises, don't you?"

"When it has to do with your well being, I'll do whatever the hell it takes," He laughed, squeezing her arm lightly.

xxxx

"And that makes three negatives," Haley said, letting out a deep breath, leaning against him and shaking her head. "Okay."

"You good?" He asked her, kissing the back of her head and raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah... I think I'm still going to schedule an appointment on Monday, just to be safe," She said, closing her eyes.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, tugging her in close to his chest. "Sounds like a good idea," He hummed, resting his chin on her head. "I love you, Haley."

Haley smiled, stroking her fingertips up his arms, "I love you too, baby."

Nathan stepped away from her, walking over to the bathtub and turning on the faucet, nodding at her. "You get this all ready, I'm going to go get you some ice cream and check on the kids one more time, sound good?"

"Mhm," She responded, turning around and looking at him, leaning back against the bathroom counter.

Nathan returned a few minutes later, letting out a deep breath. He set the bowl on the bathroom counter, kneeling down next to the tub and smiling at her. "Hey," He hummed, resting his hand on her shoulder.

She blinked her eyes open, lifting up his hand and kissing his palm lightly. "Sometimes I take you for granted, Nathan Scott. You're so good and reading me, and knowing exactly what I need."

"Years of practice. It hasn't always been like this, if you remember. It still isn't always like this," He laughed, grabbing the bowl of ice cream once again, holding out the spoon to her.

"Believe me, I know..." She laughed, grinning at him, eating the ice cream off the spoon.

He smiled at her, letting out a deep breath. "Are you feeling okay, Haley?"

"I'm fine, Nathan. I don't necessarily want to have another baby right now, but we could manage," She said, nodding at him.

Nathan sat down, leaning against the bathtub and smiling at her. He held the spoon out to her once again, letting out a deep breath. "Are you feeling relaxed?"

"Very... I needed this. I guess I didn't realize exactly how much I needed this," She groaned, leaning back and biting her lip.

"You definitely deserve it, Hales. I'm sorry that you've had a stressful day," He said, rubbing his hand over her shoulder.

"I feel like I haven't had much of a chance to talk to you," Haley hummed, smiling at him. "What did you do all day?"

"Well, I've been thrown up on several times today. I stayed in basketball shorts almost all day, which is the best. My wife came home while my baby was napping and rocked my world. So I'd say for the most part, it was a great day. Until we had to take damn family pictures," He chuckled, feeding her some more ice cream.

"You need to stop arguing with them for no reason, Nathan," She said, letting out a small sigh. "If it's not Nicole, then you find something with Megan. I even heard you try and argue with Jordan tonight, who is our son's age..." She said, grabbing his hand, kissing his knuckles lightly.

He sighed, nodding at her and closing his eyes. "I know, Hales. Just when I feel like I'm getting used to it, I just feel so annoyed when they're around. I wish my mom would've married Skills," He joked, letting out a deep breath.

"Quiet, you," She laughed, resting her hand over his cheek, brushing her thumb along his stubble.

"You're getting my face wet," He laughed, blinking his eyes open and smiling at her.

"I'm sorry, baby..." She hummed, leaning back and letting out a deep breath. "Are you going to get in with me?"

"Not tonight, I bet Brian is going to wake up in the next ten minutes," He informed her, resting his hand over her hers.

"Mm... Your loss," She responded, relaxing underneath the warm water.

"I don't know what it is, Haley... I don't understand why they bother me so much," He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Nicole bothers you because she's practically your twin," Haley informed him, looking at him and smiling.

"Haley..." He whined, shaking his head. "I hate when you say that."

"Nathan, she stole a school bus. She's a trouble maker with a soft heart," She said, smiling at him. "You argue with Megan because you like her, which seems unusual to you so you push her away."

"Okay, that's enough," He groaned, forcing some more ice cream into her mouth.

"You think it's weird having Jordan as a sister because she's the same age as Jamie, so you treat her like she's a kid," She said, nodding her head. "Not to mention she has a thing going on with Chuck, who tries to punch you in the stomach almost every time he see you."

"She is a kid," Nathan reminded her, letting out an annoyed sigh. "Would you stop?"

"What, scared I know you too well?" She teased him, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, actually," He grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Oh, stop it. I know you better than you know yourself," She laughed, winking at him.

He smiled at her, sitting on his knees once again, leaning forward and kissing her lightly. "I love you," He whispered.

"I love you too," She hummed, letting out a deep breath. "I'm sorry I was freaking out."

"Hey, hey." He smiled at her, kissing her again. "I don't blame you, Haley James. Another baby would be a big load to take on, but it's one we could handle. So, if I end up knocking you up between now and the next two years..."

"I'd be fine, Nathan," She assured him, nodding at him. "But I'd really like to wait a little while longer. Plus, remember... I do not want to be third trimester in July or August. Too hot. So you either get me pregnant in one of those months, or something like that. Got it?"

He laughed, brushing his fingers through her hair. "You've got it," He hummed, taking a bite of her ice cream. "By the time we had a baby, Brian would be pretty close to one. He would be in his own room."

"We'll see. Lydia doesn't even like to sleep in her own room," Haley laughed, shaking her head. "You're the best man I know, Nathan."

"Thank you," He said, kissing her once more.

"You're welcome," She responded, letting out a deep breath.

He pushed her so she was leaning forward slightly, resting his hands on her shoulders, beginning to knead his hands into her skin.

She pulled her knees to her chest, resting her head against them, letting out a deep breath. "You're sweet," She said softly, biting her lip.

"You need to relax, Hales. A lot," He laughed, brushing his thumbs along her smooth skin. "You haven't been this tense in a long time."

"I know..." She sighed, shaking her head. "It's been a little bit of a stressful day."

"I didn't really help you out with the kids much, did I?" He asked, laughing and raising his eyebrows.

"No," She said, shaking her head. "It's okay, though..."

He let out a deep breath, kneading his fingers into the base of her neck, "I'm sorry, babe..."

She smiled, looking up at him. "Don't apologize," She laughed, closing her eyes. "You're making it up to me right now."

"I'm a little worried about you, Hales..." He said, squeezing her shoulders. "You're so stiff, and you've been working a lot."

"I have a lot of decisions to make, you know that..." She trailed off, letting out a deep breath. "And thinking I was pregnant didn't really help relieve my stress."

"I know..." He trailed off, smiling at her. "Maybe we should go away for a little while, just the two of us. We keep talking about going on a date or something, but it hasn't happened yet," He hummed to her, squeezing her shoulders. "I'm sure we can ditch the kids for a night."

"I'm not sure we could find someone," She sighed, looking up at him. "Julian has a movie premiere that Brooke really wants us to go to coming up in a few weeks."

"Sappy love movie? I was thinking more of a sex vacation, release some of your built up tension," He joked, kissing the side of her head. "I'm definitely interested in anything that you're interested in."

"The words of a perfect husband," She said, smiling at him and letting out a deep breath. "I think we should go. Maybe we can get your mom, or Lucas and Peyton to watch the kids if they're not going. Or we can separate Brian from Lydia and Jamie, to make things easier."

"I don't think anyone will mind. He doesn't cry that much more than a normal baby, and Jamie and Lydia are great kids," He said, nodding at her. "Brian really likes to watch basketball. That's what we do almost all day. And we take naps."

"Maybe you should rethink this whole Sports Agency thing and be a stay at home dad," Haley teased him, leaning forward a little further.

"The thought has crossed my mind. I think it's also crossed Clay's," Nathan hummed, sliding his hand under the water, brushing his fingers over her spine. "If I didn't love my job so much, I would. And if the hours weren't flexible."

"When are you leaving, Nathan Scott?" She asked him, glancing up at him. "Not just a few hours in Charlotte, or Durham here and there. When are you starting back up again?"

"Next month, I believe." He said softly, frowning. "Clay's going to take the month off of traveling, and I'm going full speed ahead."

"We're really going to have a good time, hm?" She sighed, looking up at him. "You know, our lives would probably be a little easier if we both worked semi-normal jobs."

"There's not as much adventure. Not too many nights, Hales. But when I do get home, I'll owe you big." He said, kissing the back of her head.

"So is it like... After Halloween it's going to get crazy? Or like middle of November?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Early November," He said, kneading her shoulders carefully.

"So pretty much Julian's movie premiere is our first and last date night for awhile," She said, nodding up at him.

"I guess so," He said, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. "I'm sorry, Hales."

She waved her hand, smiling at him. "It's not a problem, Nathan. I've been wondering when you were going to leave."

"I'm not leaving the country at all," He said, sliding his fingers over her shoulder, brushing over her collarbone.

"Good," She hummed, leaning back against the tub. "So, are you staying in here until the bubbles are gone so you can catch a look at my boobs?"

"Caught me," He laughed, kissing her quickly, before standing up slowly. "I'm a little tired, Hales, so I'm going to clear this bowl, come back upstairs and break out my laptop and the earbuds, and we can watch some Netflix before bed."

"That sounds like the sexiest night of my life," She said, smiling up at him. "I'm ready for that."

"Super hot. I'll be there," He laughed, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. He looked up when he heard soft crying from the bedroom, letting out a small sigh. "That's me."

"You really are a Super Dad, seen you?" She said, raising her eyebrows.

"Super Dad, Super Husband, whatever you want me to be," He hummed, winking at her.

"That's what I like to hear," She laughed, smirking at him.

"Most importantly, Super Sexy," He hummed, laughing and nodding at her.

"Okay, Super Sexy Super Dad, go get my baby and calm him down before he wakes up my other babies," She said, waving her hand towards the door.

Nathan laughed, nodding his head and walking out of the bathroom.

xxxx

Haley stepped out of the bathroom, running a brush through her damp hair, a grin forming on her face at the sight in front of her.

Her husband, watching a movie on his laptop as promised, their sleeping son rested on his chest.

That was a sight for sore eyes, that's for sure. One thing that she'd never have to be concerned about what her man looking right with a baby in his arms.

She walked over to the bed, quietly sitting down on the other side of his laptop, her grin growing even wider at the show he'd chosen to watch. The Office.

What a great husband, picking one of her favorite shows.

"Hey," Nathan whispered, offering one of his headphones out to her, which she gladly accepted, putting it in her ear.

She smiled over at him, shifting herself a little bit closer to him, crossing her legs slightly. She propped her head up, feeling herself starting to zone out on him rather than the laptop. His strong hand looked so large on their son's back, holding him onto his chest.

"This makes your ovaries explode, doesn't it?" Nathan asked her, smirking slightly.

Haley raised her eyebrows in surprise, blinking at his comment. "What?"

"You heard me," He said simply, poking her leg with his foots

"Why would you say something like that?" She laughed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

"I see it on twitter. I post a picture of myself, and people comment things like 'my ovaries exploded' or something like that," He said, shrugging slightly.

"Well, I know that- I just never thought I would hear you say it," She laughed, covering her mouth.

"Well I said it," He hummed, looking down at the movie.

Haley smiled, leaning over and kissing his cheek lightly, resting her hand on the back of his head, smoothing her thumb over the neatly trimmed sides.

"Do you want me to put him back in bed?" Nathan asked her, glancing in her direction and raising his eyebrows.

"No way. Let me post this picture, and caption it about my ovaries," She teased him, grabbing her phone and snapping a picture of him.

"Okay, okay. That's enough," He laughed, rolling his eyes, brushing his thumb over Brian's back.

She winked at him, dropping her phone onto the bed, grabbing onto his left hand, brushing her thumb over the gold band resting there. She spun it around his finger slowly, a small smile forming on her face.

Nathan looked over at her, shaking his head. "You're not even watching, Hales. I'm giving Brian your earbud."

"Shush," She hummed in response, turning his hand so his palm was facing up, resting hers against his, looking at the difference in sizes.

Nathan chuckled, tugging his hand from her, resting it on Brian's back, letting his other hand fall to the bed away from her.

She rolled her eyes, laying back against her pillow. She looked at his laptop, smiling slightly, brushing her finger over the small section of tan skin that was visible from where his shirt rode up.

"You know, we're just like Jim and Pam," He said, glancing over at her.

She laughed, shaking her head and smiling at him. "I don't know if that's necessarily true, but I'm not going to argue because I'll take it," She hummed, brushing her fingers over Brian's soft hair.

"Lucas would be Roy because he was what was standing in the way of us getting together sooner," He informed her, shrugging his shoulders.

"Interesting," She said, sitting up a little bit, nodding at him. "Go on."

"Jamie was unplanned, and y'know, so was their first baby," He said, clearing his throat.

"I never thought of that! So similar..." She trailed off, grinning at him.

"You're mocking me," He said, shaking his head. "Forget it," He grumbled, looking at the screen again, pushing her hand away from Brian, "Back off my baby."

Haley shook her head, smiling and scooting closer to him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I love you," She hummed, nodding over at him.

"Uh huh, sure..." He said, pointing at the screen. "I'm watching a show you like because you've had a hard day and you're making fun of me."

"Baby..." She shook her head, brushing her fingers over his bicep. "Stop it."

He looked over at her, smiling and shaking his head, "I love you too," He said, standing up slowly. He pressed a soft kiss to Brian's forehead, setting him back in his bed.

"That's what I like to hear," She hummed, climbing underneath the comforter, letting out a deep breath.

Nathan walked back over, laying down next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders when she cuddled into his side. He lifted up his laptop, letting it rest on his stomach.

She smiled up at him, brushing her fingers over his chest. "Thank you for today, Nathan. I don't know how I'd get anything done without you."

He looked down at her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Shh, I'm trying to watch the show," He whispered, brushing his fingertips over her arm.

Haley laughed, tilting his face down and kissing him briefly. "Alright, alright. I'll stop talking. Just know that I love you, and that I'm thankful for you."

"I get it, damn. Shh." Nathan responded, smirking slightly.

"Now I've got a little less love, and a little less thanks."

"Haha, very funny."


	65. Chapter 65

**I know this isn't the story that most people want me to update, but I've been dealing with some writer's block lately, and writing this chapter came pretty easily. Enjoy! Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

 **I do not own OTH.**

 **Chapter 65**

Nathan fidgeted slightly in the back of the limousine, glancing over at Haley. He let out a deep breath, looking at the other people in the back before leaning over and whispering in her ear.

"You know, when you told me about Julian's movie premiere, I didn't think that meant us, my mom, William, Megan, and Grayson," He grumbled, resting his hand on her leg.

Haley smiled, glancing over at him, "I didn't know about it," She whispered in response, shaking her head. "Brooke must have invited them."

"Why would she invite them?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. "I mean, my mom, really?" He grumbled, kissing her head lightly. "Why not Clay and Quinn?"

"Clay and Quinn were invited but they had some other stuff to do," Haley said, grabbing onto his hand, squeezing it lightly.

"You're kidding. We can get out of things like this?" He joked, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, be quiet," She laughed, rolling her eyes.

"We could cut out early, hit up a drive thru, then lay in bed and eat fast food and watch some football?" He suggested, nodding at her. "Oh! Or, I think that the Atlanta Falcons have are at home tonight. We could talk Troy Jameson into getting us some tickets."

"No, I think I'm good," She hummed, leaning into his side. "By the way, I'm planning on having a little too much to drink tonight."

"What?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows and laughing.

"You heard me. I'll be drinking at the after party, and I don't want you to cut me off," She told him, shrugging her shoulders.

"What, I'm just supposed to take care of you?" He questioned, smirking slightly.

"Exactly," Haley responded, squeezing his hand. "We have a night away from our crying baby, who is always, always hungry, so I can never drink at home."

"Okay, sounds fair," He responded, winking at her.

"What are you two talking about?" Megan asked them, raising her eyebrows.

"I was just telling Haley how beautiful she looks tonight," Nathan responded, slipping his arm around Haley's shoulders, nodding down at her. "My girl always rocks the red carpet."

Haley smiled, kissing his cheek lightly, resting her head on his shoulder briefly, letting out a deep breath. "We definitely need the night out, that's for sure."

"Us too," Megan agreed, gesturing to her and Grayson.

"This is a lot more glamorous than the minivan." Grayson chuckled in response, shrugging.

"Tell me about it," Haley chuckled, letting out a deep breath.

"It was nice to be invited," William agreed, nodding his head.

"Um, what movie is it exactly?" Deb asked them, laughing.

Nathan and Haley exchanged a look, before they both shrugged.

"I wasn't listening when Brooke was telling me on the phone," Haley admitted, chuckling quietly. "I can use the screaming baby excuse."

"Then when I asked her, she didn't know. So I guess we'll figure it out as it goes," Nathan hummed, smiling down at his wife.

Megan looked up when the limo stopped, nodding her head. "Alright, well I'm definitely not walking on the red carpet, so we will meet you guys in the theater."

"Wait, you can do that?" Nathan asked, frowning at them.

"You can't," Haley told him, winking at him. "Let's go, honey. I like seeing the pictures of us."

Nathan sighed, offering everyone a small wave, before climbing out the door, reaching his hand down and helping Haley out of the car.

"You look very handsome," Haley informed him, linking her arm through his, smiling up at him.

"Well, you would think that because you picked it out. But you wouldn't let me pick out your dress," He hummed to her, glancing over at her.

"I gave you a few chances, but Brooke already made me this." She whispered to him, pausing to smile for the flashing cameras. "Smile, Nathan. Act like you like me."

He laughed, looking down at her, "I do like you," He told her, winking at her.

She looked up at him, resting her hand on his chest, "I like you too."

"You're such a poser, Haley James." He said, smirking at her, shrugging his shoulders.

"I do what I can," She hummed, smiling at the cameras once more, rubbing his chest lightly. "You just stand there."

"I could grab your butt?" He suggested, smirking down at her as she started laughing.

"Pass. Let's keep moving," She said, rolling her eyes, smoothing out his tie, before heading forward.

"Haley! Nathan!" A man called to them, gesturing them over.

"You talk," Nathan said softly to her, gently resting his hand on her back, pushing her forward lightly.

Haley laughed, stepping forward, leaning towards the man so she could hear what he was saying more clearly.

"Haley, you look absolutely stunning tonight. I'm sure I can guess the answer, but who are you wearing?"

"Brooke Davis, as usual," Haley laughed, smiling at him.

"Not surprised at all." He assured her, nodding his head. "You look great! Didn't you just have a baby like three months ago?"

"You're too kind," Haley laughed, nodding her head. "Yeah, Nathan likes exercising a lot so every once and awhile I'll join him."

"What can we expect from you? A tour is in the works soon, I hope?" He asked her, nodding his head.

"I have a few things coming up, but right now I'm mostly just enjoying my time with my baby boy. I've hardly had the time to even feel the buzz from the new album but I'm so grateful for all the support," She said, glancing over her shoulder at Nathan, who was talking to a guy that she didn't recognize behind her, laughing.

"Do you have any spoilers for us about this new movie that Julian Baker directed?" He questioned her, raising his eyebrows.

Haley shook her head, "Nope. But I'm really excited to see it, and Nathan and I are both very proud of Julian and all his accomplishments."

"Well it seems like your husband has escaped you, so I should probably let you go. One last question though, something that I'm just really curious about personally. Can we expect to see Nathan showing up in any of your music videos?" He asked her, grinning slightly.

"You know, I'm not sure I could talk him into it even if I tried," Haley laughed, shaking her head. "Maybe one day, we'll see. We are coming up on sixteen years pretty soon, so maybe that can be his gift to me." She joked, shrugging her shoulders.

"In a perfect world, right?" He responded, nodding at her. "Well thank you for talking with me tonight, Haley! Enjoy the movie."

"You too! Thank you," Haley hummed, smiling at him before stepping away, and grabbing onto Nathan's hand again. "Who was that guy you were just talking to?"

"I think he's one of the actors, I'm not entirely sure though." He joked, smiling at her.

"You ditched me, I had to answer all the hard questions," She said, raising his hand up, kissing his knuckles lightly.

"They're only interested in you, babe. I'm old news," He hummed, winking at her. "What do you say we cut out of here now and go catch the Falcons game tonight? Troy Jameson could get us some great seats..."

"In your dreams. What do you say we go find our seats?" She suggested, nodding her head.

"What do you say we find a closet and I can jump your bones in it?" He asked her quietly, raising his eyebrows.

"The romance will never die, will it?" She laughed, shaking her head. "Veto. You can take advantage of me later when I'm buzzed though."

"You'll fall asleep," He laughed, letting go of her hand to rest his own on her back.

Haley looked up at him, "Win-win. You get what you want, and I get to sleep through it," She teased him, winking at him.

Nathan rolled his eyes, "I'm done with this banter," He sighed, looking at her. "You look amazing tonight, Haley. And I really do mean that."

She smiled, pressing a very brief kiss to his lips, nodding her head, "Thank you so much, Nathan. You make me feel so special."

"I do what I can," He said, rubbing his hand up her back lightly. "Alright, baby. Since we can't go to a football game, we might as well go watch this movie. It better have cartoon characters singing popular songs, because those are the only movies I like."

"I have a feeling you might be a little disappointed then, Nate." Haley laughed, shaking her head.

"Me too. Let's go."

xxxx

"I didn't like it. Too much lovey dovey shit for me," Nathan announced, as he returned to his seat at their table, setting a drink in front of Haley.

"Liar!" Haley said, turning to him and shaking her head, "Don't you sit there and lie, Nathan."

"I'm not lying!" Nathan laughed, holding up his hands, loosening his tie.

"He's lying." Megan said, nodding her head. "It was so good."

"I know that he's lying. He got teary eyed," Haley argued, poking his chest and letting out a deep breath.

"Haley!" Nathan said, his voice cracking. "Dammit." He grumbled, rubbing his vocal chords.

"Had a little too much to drink, honey?" Deb teased him, raising her eyebrows.

"Watch it, Deb." Nathan grumbled, glaring at his mother.

Haley laughed, brushing her hand soothingly up Nathan's back, "It's alright, sweetie. Some people just can't hold their alcohol."

Nathan sighed, looking around the rented out bar, shaking his head. "We should go somewhere else." He said, resting his hand on her leg.

Haley shook her head, kissing his cheek, "Why on earth would you want to do that?"

"There's too many people we know here. I can't grind on you," He joked, giving her leg a light squeeze.

She rolled her eyes, pushing his hand off her leg, "You wouldn't anyways," She hummed, turning her attention back to the table.

"You really didn't like the movie?" William asked Nathan, raising his eyebrows.

"No, I liked it," Nathan assured everyone at the table, chuckling quietly. "I'm just being a jerk. He still hasn't taken Jamie's advice and thrown a robot or something in there. But I'm not sure he's really in charge of that."

"Nathan, you lived one of those romance stories you see in the movies. You can't hate on them," Deb told him, shrugging her shoulders and laughing.

"No I didn't," Nathan argued, shaking his head and looking at Haley, who raised her eyebrows at him. "I mean- yes I did." He fixed, grinning at her.

"Two people fall in love, everyone is against it but they know it's right. Boy was originally going after girl to get back at someone else, opens up to her, fell in love with her. They have trials, break up a few times, but they make it work in the end," Megan hummed, nodding at them. "Nothing like a romance movie." She mocked, grinning slightly.

Haley smiled, linking her arm through Nathan's, "I like to think that we're still living it. Right, honey?"

"Mhm," Nathan responded, kissing her head. "Every single day of my life is perfect as long as I'm with you," He hummed, winking at her.

"Always and forever, right?" Megan shot across the table, grinning at them.

"Somewhere along the lines, everyone has turned that into a joke," Haley groaned, resting her head on Nathan's shoulder, giving his bicep a light squeeze.

"That's what happens when you're a cheesy couple," Deb told her, shrugging her shoulders.

"You'd think so many years together would simmer it down, but in the whole year that I've known you, it seems like you two are never going to stop being cheesy," Megan joked, shaking her head.

"They never have," Deb said, rolling her eyes and laughing. "It's shocking how Nathan learned to be cheesy, because Dan certainly didn't teach him."

"I've never taken a play out of anyone's book. I make the book," Nathan said, smirking slightly. "I have to keep Haley on her toes."

"I bet you do," Megan hummed, smirking at them and raising her eyebrow suggestively.

"Megan," Grayson groaned, shaking his head and laughing.

"Back off Gray, I interact with a baby all day long. Let me make adult jokes," Megan laughed, elbowing him in the side.

Grayson nodded his head, smiling at her and laughing, "Okay, you're right."

Nathan glanced around the table, before leaning over and whispering in his wife's ear once again.

"Haley, let's leave," He whined, resting his hand on her knee.

Haley let out a sigh, pushing on his arm lightly, "That's it. Up." She whispered in response, shaking her head, "We'll be right back."

He sighed, standing up and allowing her to grab his hand and start tugging him along, "Wait, Haley... I'm sorry. I want to stay. Please don't use your mom voice on me."

"I hate when you say that," Haley grumbled, pulling him out of the club, shaking her head.

"You're right, Haley. Let's stay," He said, looking back towards the doors.

"We're staying," She said, sighing softly, ducking her head down slightly when people started photographing them. "This was not a good idea. Let's go back inside."

"Why did we come out here?" He asked her, chuckling quietly, letting her pull him back inside once again.

"Because, I want to stay, and I was going to let you cop a feel to hold you over." She laughed, winking at him.

"That was a good idea." He said, kissing her head, letting out a deep breath. "I guess we can stay, because I know you want to."

"You know, you used to be into this sort of thing," She hummed, gesturing around.

"You just look so hot," He said, shaking his head and laughing. "Crying in the movie theater made me a little tired."

She smiled at him, squeezing his hand lightly, "Triple date with your mom is not the funnest date I've ever been on."

"I told you it was going to be weird. Our first night out since we had a baby, and this is how we decide to spend it?" He said, shaking his head. "I wish Quinn and Clay would have decided to come. Lucas and Peyton, anyone really."

"Take Lucas and Peyton back. They're the brave souls that offered to watch our kids," Haley laughed, shaking her head. "Hey, it would probably be a lot more fun if she was you alcoholic pill popping mom still," She joked, nudging him.

"Oh yeah, dancing on the bars probably. It wouldn't be fun though, because I'd be worried you'd kill her," He said, dropping her hand, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"I have to protect my man, you know that," She hummed, leaning into his side. "So, do you want to go sit down again, or do you want to go find someone else to talk to?"

Nathan sighed, glancing over towards the table, "I guess we better go sit by them, huh?" He said, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "Next time we come to one of these, let's just come alone." He grumbled, tugging on his tie until it came undone, handing it to her. "Put this in your bag."

She laughed, taking it from him, putting it inside her handbag carefully, then wrapping her arm around his waist, "Lead the way, Mr. Big shot family man."

xxxx

"I'm not drunk, Nathan," Haley scolded him as he steadied her when the elevator started moving upwards, glaring at him.

"I know," He hummed in response, looking down at her and laughing.

"Why are you laughing?" She asked him, resting her hand on his shoulder, leaning against him and beginning to take off her shoes.

"I'm not," He told her, shaking his head and winking at her.

She shoved her shoes into his chest, shaking her head and letting out a deep breath, "I'm not drunk, Nathan!"

"I know, Haley. I already told you I knew that," He laughed, kissing her forehead, taking her shoes from her. "You're just a little tipsy."

She sighed, shaking her head, "Leave me alone, Nathan," She grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Jamie is going to love the headline: Haley Scott flashes paparazzi as that flash their cameras at her." Nathan said, smirking slightly.

Haley froze, looking up at him. "What?" She asked, shaking her head. "Did I do that? I didn't do that... Did I?" She questioned him, grabbing his arm and staring up at his face.

Nathan nodded his head, forcing the grin off his face at her panicked expression. "I tried to stop you."

"I think I'm going to be sick," She said, breathing deeply. "I don't remember doing that... I swear, I'm not drunk, I just..."

Nathan burst into laughter, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, "I'm just kidding, baby. You didn't do that."

Haley looked up at him, scowling, "You're a jerk." She grumbled, rolling her eyes, pushing his arm off her.

"You're a little more buzzed than you thought you were, huh?" He questioned her, smirking slightly.

"I can't believe you did that," She said, glaring at him and shaking her head.

"I can't believe you thought you did that," He responded, looking at her and laughing.

"You're such a jerk, Nathan," She said, moving to stand on the opposite side of the elevator, leaning against the wall.

Nathan laughed, shaking his head and looking at her, "It's funny, Hales." He hummed, shrugging his shoulders.

She stayed quiet until the doors opened, letting out a deep breath, focusing on her footsteps.

He laughed watching her, stepping up to her side quickly, resting his hand on her back. "Need some help?"

She looked up at him, sighing softly, deciding not to respond, but not pushing his arm off of her.

He smiled, leading her to their hotel room, pulling the key out of his pocket, unlocking the door quickly, helping her inside.

"I knew I didn't do it," She told him, shaking her head at him.

"Of course," He responded, chuckling quietly, dropping his jacket from his shoulders.

"You better hang that up," She demanded, shaking her head. "And your pants, and your shirt."

"Damn, even when you're drunk you're bossy." He joked, tossing the suit coat over the back of a chair.

"I'm not drunk!" She argued with him, tossing her handbag in his direction, rolling her eyes when she caught it with ease.

"You're right, baby," He laughed, looking over at her and nodding.

"I'm not having sex with you tonight," She informed him, shaking her head and sighing.

"I didn't think you would," He laughed, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yes you did," She argued with him, scowling.

He laughed harder at her words, shaking his head. Who was she to tell him his own thoughts?

"Stop laughing," She groaned, letting out a deep breath, sitting down on the bed. "I'm serious, Nathan. If you even touch me..."

"I won't touch you," He chuckled, rolling his eyes, undoing the buttons on his shirt slowly, shaking his head.

"Okay. Good," She said, closing her eyes and rubbing her forehead. "I'm going to shower to get this makeup off."

"Got it," He hummed, draping his shirt over the chair on top of his jacket.

She sighed, standing up once more and walking over to him, turning so her back was facing him.

"What?" He asked her, smirking slightly. He was fully aware that she was asking him to unzip her dress, but decided to make her ask him for help after her sour attitude.

She let out an annoyed sigh, glancing over her shoulder at him. "Will you unzip me?"

"Please?" He hummed out, raising his eyebrows and looking down at her.

"You're doing this on purpose, Nathan..." She said, sighing and shaking her head.

"Doing what on purpose, babe?" He questioned, smirking at her.

"You're annoying me on purpose. I can see it in your eyes, I just don't know why you're doing it to me," She groaned, glaring over her shoulder at him.

"Because you're drunk, and I think it's funny," He hummed out, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm not drunk!" She exclaimed, turning around quickly, stumbling and falling into him a little bit. "Don't say it."

"Tipsy." He corrected himself, laughing and turning her back around. "Can I get a please?"

"I don't owe you a please, you tried to convince me that I flashed people while I'm a little, minuscule amount tipsy," She told him, letting out a sigh.

"Then get out of your dress yourself," He hummed, patting her back lightly. "Sleep in it, looks comfy enough."

"That undershirt you're wearing makes your arms look skinny," She said, crossing her arms and shrugging her shoulders.

"How dare you." He mock gasped, shaking his head. "Take that back."

"Unzip me." She said simply, rolling her eyes.

"Say please and take it back."

She shook her head, "I think you're losing your muscle. Can't even unzip a dress anymore?"

"Haley, stop. It's fun when I annoy you but not when you annoy me," He whined, looking down at his biceps.

She looked over her shoulder at him once again, sighing softly. "Okay, I take it back."

"Good," He said, looking down at her, nodding his head. "And what else?"

"I'm not going to say please. It's your husband duty," She said simply, looking away from him.

"Oh?" He laughed, raising his eyebrows, resting his hand on her waist, setting his chin on her head.

"Mm... I told you not to touch me," She informed him, leaning back against him.

"I'm not," He chuckled, kissing the back of her head.

"I'm not drunk enough to believe that," She grumbled, shaking her head.

"God, I love you." He whispered to her, pulling her in close to him, hugging her tightly.

She smiled at his words, biting her lip lightly, "You can't just go right to being sweet." She told him, leaning back against him.

"You're right," He chuckled, stepping back from her, "Say please."

"I usually don't have to beg you to undress me, losing my touch?" She asked him, shaking her head. "Just unzip me and say more sweet things. Please."

He laughed, unzipping her dress quickly, letting it fall to the ground, resting his chin on her shoulder. He brushed his rough cheek against her neck lightly, smiling.

"I love you too," She responded, leaning back against him.

"I know," He chuckled, place a kiss against the crook of her neck. "Didn't you mention something about us taking a shower together?"

She laughed, looking over her shoulder and nodding at him, "That does sound like something I would say."

"I thought so. Don't worry, I'll carry you so you don't fall into the walls," He hummed, scooping her up and grinning.

"Your arms definitely aren't skinny," She assured him, smiling up at him.

"Damn straight," He responded, stepping into the bathroom, closing the door behind them.

xxxx

"Shit, Haley! This stuff hurts!" Nathan groaned, touching the charcoal mask that was on his face, shaking his head. "I don't know why I let you talk me into doing this."

"It's good for you skin, Nathan," Haley commented, laughing loudly, covering her mouth.

"I look like an idiot," He muttered, shaking his head. "I can hardly move my damn face, Haley! What the hell?"

"Stop whining, Nathan," She responded, brushing her fingernail along the outside, trying to find an edge so she could peel it off.

"You got too close to my beard, it's going to rip it off," He said, shaking his head. "This was not a good idea," He whined to her, resting his hand on her wrist.

"Your skin is going to glow," She laughed, rolling her eyes. "I already took mine off and you didn't hear me moaning in pain, did you?"

"You've never been in this much pain," He grumbled, shaking his head.

Haley shoved his shoulder lightly, "Do not talk about pain with me," She said, shaking her head. "I've given birth to your children three times, Nathan. Not to mention I literally just did what you're doing right now."

"Okay, I get it. You're tough," He grumbled, cringing away from her. "It's not going to come off," He said, pushing his hands through his hair. "Loosen your robe to distract me."

"You've gotta be kidding me, Nathan..." Haley grumbled, shaking her head and laughing. "Stop complaining," She hummed, her thumb finally catching the edge.

"Holy shit! What the hell did you just do?" Nathan asked, yanking her hand away from his face quickly.

"I just made the edge a little bigger so I could take it off," She laughed, raising her eyebrows.

"Nuh-huh. Hard pass. Nope. I'm leaving it on, good night, Hales," He said quickly, letting out a deep sigh.

"Come on, Nathan. Let me get if off," She laughed, reaching for his face again.

Nathan smacked away her hand quickly, jumping off the bed, crossing his arms. "No way. This is excruciating, and you're just trying to torture me for the comment I made earlier about you flashing the cameras."

"I'm really not," Haley laughed, looking up at her pouty husband.

He looked so cute with his complementary bath robe on, arms crossed, unable to have too much expression since he couldn't move his face, but she could tell from his eyes that he was not having a great time with this.

She lifted up her phone, taking a picture of him and grinning down at this. "This is definitely going to make it somewhere."

"No, you already made me take those little video things with you, for your little Instagram thing that you do," He growled out, shaking his head.

"A boomerang," She informed him, sticking her tongue out at him. "We're pampering ourselves."

"This is not pampering, Haley! Pampering would be a massage, or some shit, but this is just hell," He argued with her, letting out a deep breath.

"Would you stop whining?" She laughed, shaking her head and hitting the bed next to her. "Come here and let me take it off."

"I can't. It hurts too bad," Nathan informed her, letting out a deep breath.

"It's a good thing we haven't done this at home because you'd wake up the whole house with your complaining," She teased him, rolling her eyes. "I just did it, Nathan. I know it hurts, but you didn't hear me whine."

"You've done this before," He grumbled, pushing his hands through his hair, gently tugging on the little edge she'd made, wincing back. "We should've done the paper ones or something like that."

"Get over here, right now," She said, tapping the bed again.

"Really? The mom voice again? It's like we're still at home," He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"It's my voice, Nathan," She laughed, shaking her head. "You'll have to do it yourself."

"I can't, it hurts..." He whined, letting out a deep sigh. "I don't want to do this anymore."

"It's a little late for that," She informed him, shrugging. "It's good for your skin, Nathan."

"There has to be a better way to do this. What if I get in the shower again?" He asked her, letting out a deep breath.

"No, just come back over here," Haley laughed, covering her mouth and shaking her head.

"I told you what you have to do," He said, shrugging, pointing at her robe.

"Oh my hell, Nathan," She grumbled, grabbing the edges of the opening in her robe, tugging them outwards lightly.

"There they are," He said, smirking the best that he could, waving in the direction of her chest. "Hello," He said, sitting down on the bed.

Haley laughed loudly at her dorky husband, shaking her head and smacking his shoulder again, "Don't," She laughed, looking up at him. "Whatever keeps you distracted so I can do this, I guess."

"This will definitely keep me distracted," He informed her, smirking slightly, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Okay, try again."

Haley started to pull the charcoal mask off once more, before she was met yet again with her husband letting out a screeching noise and grabbing her wrist to stop her.

"Mother- Son of a- Holy-" He cut himself off before all of the curse words, shaking his head. "It didn't work! Stop it, stop it, stop!" He groaned.

She couldn't help but start laughing again at his very low pain tolerance. She was positive he'd felt more pain that this, with his back injury, his knee injury, and more. Sure, this hurt, but he was acting like it was some form of torture.

"Stop laughing at me, Haley!" He groaned, falling back on the bed. "I need to go to a doctor."

"You're so dramatic," She laughed, looking down at him, resting her hand on this stomach. "Let me do this, Nathan."

"Try dropping the robe," He suggested, nodding at her.

"Nope," She said, grabbing onto his hand, tugging him into a sitting position. "I'm not going to do that. It's way too soft and comfortable," She laughed, touching the spot on his face where the mask had peeled off.

"Maybe try and-"

"I'm not going to do that," She repeated to him, shaking her head.

"You didn't even listen to what I was saying," He said, chuckling quietly.

"Because I knew what you were going to say, and I'm not doing it," She laughed, moving so she was sitting on her knees, grabbing his face in her hands. "Stay still."

"No," He whined, resting his hands on her wrists. "Stop, Haley..."

"Let me just go for it, honey!" She laughed, grabbing onto the loose end again, yanking on it a little bit more.

Nathan winced, pushing her hands away from him. "I quit!" He groaned, shaking his head quickly.

"I think I'm going to make you do this on your own," Haley said, tightening up her robe once again, standing up.

"I can't," He whined, reaching forward and grabbing her hand. "I need you to help me."

"Every single time I make one move, you act like I'm kicking you in the shins," She pointed out, shrugging her shoulders.

"Try and kick me in the shins while you do it so I can focus on that," He said, standing up and walking over to her.

"Whatever," She said, letting out a deep breath. She rested her hand on the opening of the robe he was wearing, scratching her fingernails lightly over his smooth skin, batting her eyelashes up at him.

He smiled down at her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "I know that look," He commented, brushing his hands down her arm.

"Yeah?" She said, stepping closer to him, tugging on the tie of the robe he was wearing, sliding her arms around his waist, she tilted her head forward, pressing delicate kisses down the side of his neck.

He let out a deep breath, tilting his head down and kissing her quickly, wrapping his arms around her.

Haley rubbed her hands over his back, standing on her toes to get better leverage. "Bed," She mumbled to him, pushing him backwards.

Nathan's knees hit the bed and he fell back, looking up at her, nodding his head.

Haley smiled, moving so that she was straddling his waist, leaning down and kissing him once again.

Nathan rested his hands on her sides, humming softly against her mouth, his eyes squeezing shut tightly.

Haley slowly slid her hands up his chest, resting on the sides of his neck. After staying there for a few seconds, she moved to cup his cheek. Another few moments, and she grabbed the loose end of the mask, yanking on it quickly.

"Son of a bitch!" Nathan yelled in pain, shaking his head quickly. "You're evil, Haley! I can't believe you did that!"

"Come on, Nathan... It's almost off, just let me finish it up!" She said, grabbing onto his wrists and holding them against the bed. "Keep them here and let me finish."

Nathan let out a deep breath, rolling his eyes. "You owe me. That was so damn mean. You owe me so bad," He grumbled, shaking his head and groaning when she continued to pull it off.

"It was the only way," She laughed, looking down at him. "Okay, just a little bit more. No more shouting from you, we aren't the only people staying in this hotel, you know..."

"Sorry, my wife attacked me," Nathan said, letting out a deep breath, wincing slightly as she finished, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Attacked is a bit of a reach," She laughed, smoothing her fingers over his nose, smiling down at him. "You're glowing."

"Whatever," Nathan grumbled, letting out a loud sigh. "I'm never doing that with you again."

"I told you that it would hurt, Nathan. What did you say to me?" She asked him, laughing quietly.

"I said, 'Uh, I'm pretty sure if you can handle it, I can handle it.' And now I regret my words and withdraw them," He said, rolling his eyes, rubbing his hand over his face. "You're definitely tougher than me."

She laughed, looking down at him and rolling her eyes. "You're so funny, Nathan," She commented, pushing her hand through his soft hair.

"You take joy in my pain," He grumbled, resting his hands on her waist, staring up at the ceiling.

"I take joy in you throwing a little tantrum and screeching," She corrected him, pulling open his robe a little bit more, sliding her hands over his chest.

"Not funny," He said, letting out a deep breath, rubbing his cheek. "That really did not feel good," He grumbled, glaring up at her.

"Don't give me that look, Nathan Scott," She laughed, tapping her finger on his nose. "You asked for it."

"I didn't know how badly it was going to hurt. Don't you know that my face is all I have going for me?" He laughed, grabbing onto her hands, smiling up at her.

"Oh, you have so much more than just that going for you, buddy..." She informed him, looking down at him and smiling. "You have a great body too."

He laughed, rolling his eyes, "Haley James, you say the sweetest things to me."

She smiled, picking up his hand, kissing his palm lightly, before resting it against her cheek, "I do what I can," She hummed, letting out a deep breath. "You know, we should do a photoshoot together."

"Those days are behind me," He said, shaking his head. "Besides, we just took pictures at Julian's premiere, and then we did family pictures a couple of weeks ago."

"Yeah, but we've never done one and we've been in the spotlight for years. Can you imagine?" She asked him, trailing her fingers over his chest. "Happy, in love... Maybe a little sexy. It would be great."

"Huh. So when I want to take sexy pictures, it's a bad idea. But when you want to take them, it's like a stroke of genius," He said, smirking at her, rolling his eyes.

"This would only be moderately sexy, not quite the picture you're thinking of. Come on, Nathan... I'm sure we could rock the cover of a magazine," She said, tilting her head into his hand.

"I'll leave that to you," He chuckled, dropping his hand from her face. He tapped on her legs lightly, and gestured for her to get off him.

Haley did as he asked, shaking her head, "It would be fun," She said, laying back on the bed, looking over at him.

"For you, I'm wooden," He chuckled, standing slowly. "I'm starving."

"Well it was suggested to me tonight that I put you in a music video," She hummed, looking up at him and raising her eyebrows.

"Why don't I just stick to my own career and not try and get into the acting and modeling business?" He chuckled, digging through the drawers until he found a room service menu.

"Nathan, it's the middle of the night. You can't order room service," She said, sitting up slowly.

"Just watch me," He chuckled, pushing his hand through his hair, sitting back down on the bed.

"I just think that it would be fun, and I think that people would like it. I know I would like it, and I'd be very appreciative..." She hummed, scooting towards him, brushing her fingers over his chest.

"If I didn't get it so regularly, then maybe I'd consider," He said, shrugging his shoulders, smirking slightly.

"I'll just find another hunk to take pictures with me," Haley hummed, leaning back against the headboard, poking his bicep.

"I hope you two are very happy together," He responded, sighing softly. "I don't know what I want, Hales."

"You're so mean to me," She sighed, shaking her head and crossing her arms.

"You take pictures with me all the damn time, I don't really get the appeal of someone else taking some..." He chuckled, standing up. "I'm going to call a cab and go find somewhere that's still open."

"What?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows. "Are you serious?"

He sighed, glancing over his shoulder and shaking his head, "No, I don't want to put a shirt or pants on. I'll just starve."

She rolled her eyes, grabbing onto his hand, pulling him back down into the bed. "Just order something, Nathan. You're so dramatic."

Nathan leaned back against the headboard, pushing his fingers through his hair. "I'm not dramatic. You're dramatic, you said you were going to find another guy just because I wouldn't take some pictures with you."

"I'll find a guy that looks like you from behind so everyone thinks it's you," She hummed, curling her arm through his, gripping his bicep lightly.

"That will be pretty cool," Nathan agreed, grinning at her. "Can I meet him?"

"You want to meet a guy I'm going to take sexy pictures with?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I mean... I have to approve. Maybe I should take some pictures with him if we look alike," He said, nodding at her and grinning.

"Just be jealous and agree to do it, Nathan!" She groaned, rolling her eyes and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Oh, come on, Hales... I'm just teasing you because I know you're just teasing me," He pointed out, kissing her head and laughing. "You know I'd do anything you ask me to do."

"Yeah?" She said, grinning at him. "I think I just heard you agreeing with me."

"If you want our teenage son's friends to see sexy pictures of us, that is..." Nathan chuckled, grabbing her wrist when she moved to smack his chest.

"They wouldn't be too sexy, Nathan. I just want something exciting and different than the family pictures we take, or the red carpet," She said, shaking her head. "Doesn't that sound fun?"

"You should have been the Rainstorm Body Spray girl," He said, kissing her forehead and laughing quietly.

"I've been thinking that for years," She laughed, settling herself into his side, throwing her leg over his.

Nathan grabbed onto her leg, brushing his thumb over her smooth skin, smiling at her. "I'll do whatever you want me to do, Hales. But you still owe me a recreation of that sexy little picture we took after we first got married."

"Anniversary present," She chuckled, resting her head on his shoulder, grabbing onto the tie of the robe he was wearing tugging on it.

"Hey! Leave that tied, I'm almost naked under there," He chuckled, kissing her forehead.

"I know, that's why I'm doing it," She hummed, winking up at him.

He rolled his eyes, laughing and pushing her hand away, shaking his head. "That picture is not going to be an anniversary present. You owe me, I won our bet."

"It's a little sexier than I want it to be," Haley said, shaking her head. "So you have to do both."

"Let's just set up the timer on our phones and do it right now. Oh, or if you're looking for sexy pictures, we can sext each other," He said, nodding at her and laughing.

"Yeah, I don't really want that," She laughed, shaking her head, brushing her fingers over his chest, pulling the tie until it came undone.

Nathan smiled at her, leaning back and letting out a deep breath, "I'll be your boy toy and just do whatever you want, Haley James," He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "But you have to let me eat."

"I didn't say that you couldn't eat, baby..." She laughed, resting her hand low on his stomach, brushing her fingertips over the waistband of his boxer briefs.

"What do you want to eat?" He asked, looking down at her and raising his eyebrows.

"I'm not super hungry, I'll just eat some of whatever you get," She hummed, cuddling closer to him, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck.

"I don't know if I want you to do that," He laughed, looking down at her and raising his eyebrows.

She laughed, resting her hand on his cheek, brushing her thumb along his cheekbone, laying her head against his chest, sliding her arm across his stomach, gripping onto his side.

Nathan smiled down at her, reaching over and grabbing the tie on her robe, pulling on it until it came loose. "We don't need to wear clothes, you know. There is no chance of a kid coming into our room."

"When you get your food, you better be wearing some clothes," She laughed, kissing his chest, sitting up slowly, letting the robe drop off her shoulders, before returning to her previous position.

Nathan slid is arm around her, smoothing his finger down her spine, looking down at her. "You are incredible."

"I take off my robe and now all of the sudden I'm incredible?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Yep," He commented, brushing his fingertips over her tattoo, leaning back and letting out a deep breath.

She looked up at him, laughing quietly. "Are you going to order some food, baby?"

He nodded his head, kissing her forehead and smiling, "I was just waiting to see if you were going to jump me first, didn't want to get interrupted."

"Nope," She laughed, leaning over and picking up the phone, handing it to him.

"Even after you ripped that mask off my face?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

She sat up, peppering kisses all over his face and neck, gripping onto his shoulder.

"Haley!" Nathan laughed, shaking his head, pushing on her arm. "Stop it."

"I just wanted to make you feel a little better," She hummed, laying down against the pillow now, yawning and looking up at the ceiling.

Nathan looked at the menu for another second, before picking up the food and ordering them some various desserts. He looked down at her, sliding his fingertips down her arm, grabbing onto her hand, interlocking their fingers.

Haley looked over at him, smiling at him, squeezing his hand lightly. "I love you," She said, nodding at him.

"I love you too," He hummed, leaning over and kissing her lightly. He looked down at her, letting out a deep breath. "You're so beautiful."

"Uh huh, what do you want?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows and looking up at him.

"I don't want anything," He laughed, brushing his fingertips over her stomach, winking at her. "Just admiring the art."

"Oh, my..." She laughed, leaning back and shaking her head, brushing her fingers through her hair. "You're so nice to me. Well... For the most part."

"Can I drip some chocolate on your body?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows and meeting her eyes.

"We'll see, I just showered and I'm pretty tired," She said, grabbing onto his hand, resting it on her cheek. "You can always change my mind, though?"

"I plan on it," He hummed, leaning over and kissing her deeply, rolling on top of her.

Haley smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist, arching her back up into him, lightly scratching her fingernails over the small of his back.

He supported himself with one arm, his other hand resting on her ribcage, brushing his thumb over her smooth skin, leaning further into her.

"How am I doing?" He mumbled, parting from her for a second, kissing her again.

"So far, so good," She hummed out, scratching her fingernails up his back.

"Mhm..." He responded, nipping at her bottom lip lightly, his eyelids fluttering. He slid his hand down to her leg, hitching it up to his waist.

She cupped the back of his neck, brushing her thumb over the short hairs on the back of his head, arching her back up into him.

"Don't let me get too carried away," He mumbled, kissing along her jaw bone lightly.

"Oh, absolutely not," She hummed in response, letting out a deep breath.

"But I have been sitting next to you, and you've been topless for awhile, so it might be pretty quick," He joked, smirking at her.

"You're so sexy when you talk like that," She laughed, pushing his head into her neck, tilting her head back.

"I thought you might like that," He hummed, sucking on her collarbone lightly, laughing against her skin.

"I like it when you're quick because then I can go to bed," She joked, tangling her fingers in the hair on top of his head, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Me too. If only you could walk around shirtless at home, then I'd always be ready to go and we could just get it over with," He said, glancing at her and winking.

"Oh, that sounds perfect," She said, nodding down at him and laughing.

"Can I give you a hickey?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"Mhm," She hummed, shrugging her shoulders. "Go ahead, just don't put it in a place where Lydia will ask questions, and Jamie will be embarrassed."

"Sweet," He said, nodding at her. "Now I just have to decide where to put it..." He trailed off, sitting up slightly and looking down at her.

"You'll figure it out," She assured him, tugging his head back down. "Just keep going. I only walk around topless every once and awhile, might as well take advantage of it."

"You just like how nice my skin feels on yours, don't you?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows and grinning at her. "That's why you forced that mask on my face."

"You caught me," She laughed, tugging on his hair lightly. "Now, stop talking and get your mouth busy so I can go to sleep."

"You are horrible to me," He laughed, kissing back up to her face, leaning down and kissing her deeply, dropping his body down onto hers carefully.

"Don't you forget it, I've got all the power," She joked, kissing him again.

"Maybe we should take it slow, since it seems like we've been having a lot of quickies lately," He said, lifting his head up and looking down at her.

"What, you mean like make love?" She teased him, winding her arms around his neck and grinning.

"That makes it sound so cheesy," He groaned, rolling his eyes and kissing her briefly. "But yeah, I mean make love."

"Here's an idea, let's try to get a quickie in before your food gets here, and then let's do the romantic, slow sex," She said, curving her body up, brushing her chest against his and letting out a deep breath.

"Brains and beauty. You're really all I need," Nathan said, smirking and swooping down to pull her into a deep kiss once again.

xxxx

"I'm just saying, Haley... I know my mom, and she's a nutcase. But for some reason, around William, she acts all normal and fake..." Nathan chuckled, pushing a forkful of cheesecake into her open mouth.

"Maybe he makes her not as crazy," Haley said, shrugging her shoulders and tugging the sheets further up her body, looking over to where a stack of dishes lay on the nightstand next to the bed. "We ate so much."

"We burned off all our calories with our intense, slow burning love making," He joked, winking down at her.

"It sounds so foreign leaving your mouth because you're so blunt. You say 'Hey Hales, wanna do if?' Or something like that," She laughed, cuddling into his side, taking another bite off the fork as he held it out to her.

"That line works like a charm, because you always want to do it," He laughed, kissing the top of her head. "But anyways, do you think my mom puts on an act for him? He's just so plain and boring, and my mom is an attempted murderer."

Haley swatted at his chest, looking at him and shrugging her shoulders, "I really don't know, Nathan. She seems happy, and I don't think she'd seem happy if she was faking it."

"She faked it with my dad for almost twenty years," He reminded her, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah, and she wasn't always the best at hiding how unhappy she was with him," Haley pointed out, cuddling closely into his side.

He chuckled, nodding his head and brushing his fingers up and down her bare back, looking down at her. "I guess. I just know her. She goes skinny dipping and flashes mystery men online.."

"What, are you worried she's unhappy?" Haley asked him, raising her eyebrows and looking up at him.

He thought for a second, tilting his head to the side, before shaking his head. "No, I think he makes her happy. I just don't get it, because she's crazy, you know that. I know that."

"Maybe he knows that too," She responded, chuckling quietly. "Maybe they just don't want his kids to know that. Or maybe she just doesn't feel the need to do crazy things around him."

"I just don't want her to pretend to be someone she's not," He said, shrugging his shoulders and letting out a deep breath.

"You love to worry about your mom, don't you?" She asked him, smoothing her hand over the creases in his forehead.

"Gross, no," He laughed, putting more cheesecake in her mouth before she could continue talking, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

She hummed softly, smiling up at him, letting out a deep breath, tickling her fingers lightly over his abdominal muscles. "You're so hot," She informed him, laughing quietly.

Nathan scrunched up his nose, looking down at her and grinning. "Why, thank you," He laughed, nuzzling his nose into her hair, humming quietly. "We should definitely start sleeping naked every night. Doesn't this feel way more comfortable?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure Lydia will agree when she gets into our bed in the middle of the night," Haley laughed, nudging her nose against his neck.

"She'll stop doing that pretty soon. Plus, there's this little thing called a lock," He said, smirking down at her, nodding his head.

"That worked with Jamie, but your daughter likes to pound on the door if it's even locked for three seconds. I go change clothes and I get interrogated," She laughed, shaking her head, letting out a small sigh.

"You start sleeping naked, and I'll distract her," He chuckled, smiling down at her, lifting up the sheets and glancing down at her body. "After all these years, three kids, Haley James... You've still got it."

She laughed, kissing him lightly. "I love you, Nathan," She said, sliding her arm over his stomach, nestling herself perfectly into his side, using his chest as a pillow.

He kissed the top of her head, letting out a deep breath, tickling his fingers up and down her back lightly. "You aren't going to finish your cheesecake?"

"I think I've eaten enough for the night. You can put it in the fridge though, I'll be sure to eat if for breakfast," She chuckled, smiling slightly. She sat up slowly, looking down at him, "Will you grab my robe? I think it's on the ground by your side..."

Nathan reached his arm down, picking it up and handing it to her, humming softly. He crossed his arms behind his head, watching her as she began to clean up the dishes next to him.

He reached over and grabbed onto her arm, smiling up at her. "I'm so in love with you, Haley... And that means everything to me."

She looked down at him and grinned, kissing his forehead lightly. "You're so sweet, Nathan... I love you too."

"Even when you force painful facemasks onto my face, and yank them off... I still love you," He chuckled, winking at her.

"Good," She laughed, rolling her eyes and walking towards the kitchen, setting the dishes in the sink.

"You know, sometimes it's nice to have a private room separate from the rest of your hotel room, but right now I don't really get that... I mean the kitchen is just steps away from out bed, we can watch the TV from here, if you snore too loud I can kick you to the couch easy. It's genius," He chuckled, watching her, smirking slightly.

"Watch it," She laughed, looking over at him and shaking her head, setting the cheesecake in the fridge.

A small smile formed on Nathan's face as he watched his wife of nearly sixteen years. She was so beautiful, and she had aged so damn gracefully it wasn't fair. She still looked ten years younger than she actually was. If he said it to her, she'd probably go off about face masks or something. But damn, she was so amazing. His heart felt so full as he watched her do even the smallest thing. She made him feel like he was teenage boy again, crushed out on her. He'd drop anything to help her with any problem she was having, because she deserved everything he had to offer and more. And watching her with their kids was a whole different story. Haley James was born to do a lot of things, and have children was definitely one of them. From eighteen years and on, her maternal instinct had blown him away. She was a natural. She was able to tell right away that something was wrong just by the change of tone on one word. She was outstanding. He's never be able to stop staring at her, he was sure of it. She'd never stop amazing him.

He frowned slightly as she left his sight to go into the bathroom and get ready for bed, letting out a deep breath. His gaze shifted over to the clock, chuckling quietly. They were both probably going to be grumpy in the morning from the lack of sleep, but he would most likely take that out on his step sister, rather and his wife, and she would probably keep a level head, like she almost always did.

He laughed to himself, shaking his head and crossing his arms. She really was admirable. They were opposites, but she leveled him out. He stood up quickly, finding his robe and wrapping it around himself and stepping into the bathroom, standing behind her and resting his chin on her head, arms wrapping around her easily.

This was definitely one of his favorite ways to stand next to her. Her height had been something that he'd always teased her about, and about how Jamie had inherited it, but he loved that about her. He loved how he could rest his chin on her head with ease, and he knew that she loved it to.

"You're me oogly eyes, Nathan," She commented, finding his toothbrush, putting toothpaste on it.

He laughed, squeezing her tightly against him. Another thing he loved, she never failed to tease him. He loved when she did, despite his grumbling about it. He loved this woman in his arms through and through, there was no doubt about it.

"I'm just thinking about you, that's all..." He informed her, grinning at her in the mirror, corners of his eyes crinkling up.

"Let me guess, you can't wait until I strip the robe. I know how your mind works, Scott..." She laughed, leaning back against him, finding her own toothbrush.

"I wasn't, but now I am," He joked, kissing the back of her head, stepping to the side, picking up his toothbrush, dropping his arm around her shoulders.

A short while later, they were back in bed, cuddled up close together. Haley smoothed her hand over his stomach muscles, nuzzling her face against his chest and letting out a deep breath.

"I had a great time tonight, Nathan. Thanks for letting me get a little bit tipsy, and keeping me laughing," She hummed, smiling and closing her eyes.

"Of course, baby..." He responded, brushing his fingertips up and down her back slowly, looking down at her. "There's zero chance of a screaming Brian waking you up tonight, so might as well take advantage of it."

"In a weird way, I miss that already..." She admitted, laughing quietly and shaking her head.

"If you want, I can keep you up with my crying?" He offered, kissing the top of her head.

"Maybe another time," She grinned up at him, shaking her head. "I think you've kept me up late enough."

"I think it's you that has been keeping me up," He argued, rolling his eyes and laying his head back against the pillow.

"Let's not place blame," She laughed, resting her head on his chest once again, stroking her fingertips over his stomach muscles.

He smiled, rubbing her shoulder lightly, pulling her closer to him. "Honestly, I can't wait to go home either," He chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Those damn kids have me wrapped around their fingers."

She grinned at him, kissing his chest lightly. "I know they do," She hummed, letting out a deep breath.

"You have me wrapped around your finger as well, Haley James," He laughed, sliding his hand down to the small of her back, slowly tracing his fingers around the number there.

She smiled, closing her eyes and leaning further into him. "I know," She responded, shrugging slightly.

"Oh, you know? Cocky little shit," He chuckled, rolling his eyes and grinning down at her.

She let out what sounded like a sleepy laugh to his words, poking his stomach lightly. "Don't forget it," She hummed, going back to stroking his skin lightly in an attempt to lull him into a sleepy, less talkative state.

He laughed, kissing her head and letting out a deep breath, tugging the comforter higher up his body, listening closely as she began to hum. "You're trying to put me to sleep the same way you put our kids to sleep..." He commented, clearing his throat.

"Yeah, I am," She hummed, shrugging slightly. "Wouldn't be the first time I've done it either. Is it working?"

"Yes," He said, letting out a quiet yawn, covering his face with his hand. "It's definitely working."

She continued to stroke her fingertips over his skin, humming a random tune quietly until she felt his breathing steady out, lifting her head up to look at him. She smiled slightly, pressing a soft kiss to his chin, before resting her head back down on his chest. She kissed his chest once more, before closer her eyes. Her smile grew when his arm tightened around her in his sleep. She settled into his embrace, allowing herself to slip into the same deep sleep that he'd fallen into moments before.


	66. Chapter 66

**Chapter 66**

Haley let out a small sigh, setting her phone down on the bed as she waited for Nathan to pick up her FaceTime request, propping it up against the pillow. She lifted her shirt over her head, walking over to the closet and pulling out a different shirt.

"Uh, Hales?" Nathan laughed, raising his eyebrows and rubbing his neck. "What are you doing?"

She turned back to the bed, shaking her head and letting out another sigh and walking over.. "I'm letting you appreciate me as I change into my third shirt today," She told him, shaking her head.

"I thought it was a little weird that you were calling me for some good old fashioned FaceTime sex at five o'clock," He laughed, smiling at her. "I do appreciated the view, but why are you changing?"

"Because our child threw up all over me. Not our infant son, no... Our six year old daughter," She said, letting out a deep sigh, pulling her new shirt over her head.

"Oh," He said, clearing his throat and sighing softly. "I'm sorry. I appreciate the fact that it was you and not me?"

She sent him an unamused look, shaking her head and pulling her hair up into a messy bun on top of her head. "I didn't even know that she was sick, honestly. She was being a extra needy, didn't want to do her homework, and just wanted to cuddle with me on the couch for a second, and then bam, I'm covered in whatever the hell she ate today," She groaned.

"I'm sorry, baby..." He frowned at her, giving her a thumbs up. "You're the greatest mother on the planet."

"I'm just lucky it didn't get on our expensive couches, and I was just wearing an old t-shirt," She sighed, "Now I have to start the laundry, get Lydia in the bath, and take the fastest shower known to man because Brian is going to wake up soon. Why does this never happen when I'm out of town?" She laughed, rubbing her neck.

"Because kids only want their moms when they're sick," He laughed, sending her a smile. "Well, let me tell you that I love and appreciate everything you're doing right now. You're a hero, Haley James."

"Yeah, you better," She laughed, shaking her head. "I sent her to bed, we'll see what happens. She'll probably end up with me tonight. I should've known she wasn't feeling well, Nathan. Even this morning, Brian woke up around five and I calmed him down and she came and got in bed with me."

"She didn't tell you, Haley. There was no way for you to have known," He said, frowning and shaking his head.

"I don't want to get Brian sick, so I don't know if I should just not let her in with me, or what?" She sighed, rubbing her neck.

"He'll be alright, just keep an eye on him. You're doing an excellent job," He told her, smiling at her and letting out a deep breath.

"Do I even want to ask when you'll be home?" She asked him quietly, raising her eyebrows.

"I have a meeting here in about half an hour, and that will determine when," He informed her, shrugging. "I'll call you after."

"Determine what, exactly? When do you have it narrowed down to?" She asked him, biting her lip.

"If it goes well, or completely horrible, I'll be back tomorrow. If it goes just alright, it could be a couple more days," He informed her, sighing softly. "I'm sorry, Hales."

"No, no... I didn't call you to make you feel guilty," She assured him quickly. "I just miss you, and I know the kids do too."

"It won't be too long," He said, nodding at her.

"I should go. I really need to at least get my clothes in the washer before Brian wakes up. Call me after and let me know the verdict?"

"I will," He responded, waving at her. "Bye, Haley. I love you! Good luck."

"I love you too," She sighed, hanging up the phone and tossing shaking her head.

Nathan had been gone for three days, and they'd all gone pretty smoothly, until now, of course. Now she had a baby, a sick child, and who knows what Jamie was going to need soon enough.

She gave her phone one last glance, before rushing out of the room.

xxxx

"Mom?" Jamie called out, stepping down the stairs, hands shoved into his pocket.

"Yes, Jamie?" Haley asked him, bouncing Brian lightly, making faces down at him in an attempt to make him smile.

"What are you doing?" He asked her in response, laughing and shaking his head.

"I'm making him smile. Isn't that right baby boy, Mama is making you smile?" She cooed down at the baby, brushing her fingers through his dark hair.

"You talking to me or him?" Jamie joked, sitting down on the couch next to her, clearing his throat.

"Definitely not you," She teased him, smiling over at him. "What do you need?"

"Can I go out with some friends tonight?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"Who?" Haley responded, shifting her gaze back down to Brian, before looking at Jamie again.

"Chuck, and some other people..." He trailed off, shrugging slightly.

"Who else are you going with?" She asked him suspiciously, studying his face.

"Well, uh... They're some guys that are a grade ahead of us, they were on the eighth grade basketball team last year," Jamie said, shifting slightly.

"So they're in high school," She said, nodding slowly.

"Yeah, one could say that they are in high school," He said, sighing softly.

"How many guys are there going to be?" She questioned him, bouncing Brian lightly.

"Six or seven besides us," He said, shrugging slightly.

"What would you be doing?" Haley looked at him, sighing softly.

"Playing basketball, going to get ice cream, normal stuff..." He said, looking at her.

"How are you getting there?"

"Two of the guys can drive," He informed her, sending her a sweet smile.

"You want to hang out with some guys that can drive? How old are these boys?" She asked him, shaking her head.

"The oldest one is a sophomore," Jamie said, shrugging slightly. "Can I go?"

"I don't think so, not tonight," Haley said, letting out a sigh.

"What? Why not?" He argued with her, scowling.

"Because, I don't want you hanging out with a bunch of kids that are older than you. I don't know them," She said simply.

"But that's not fair!" Jamie argued with her, shaking his head quickly. "I'm in eighth grade, Mom. Chuck is going."

"Yeah well, Chuck can tell you all about it tomorrow," She said, shaking her head and looking at him, shifting Brian so his head was resting on his shoulder.

"You're kidding me. Why can't I go?" He continued to argue, letting out an annoyed sigh.

"Because I said so," She responded, clearing her throat.

"They're my friends," He said again, shaking his head. "I'm sure Dad has met them."

"I haven't and your dad isn't home," She retaliated, sighing softly. "I'm saying no, Jamie."

"This sucks," Jamie groaned, crossing his arms and scowling at her.

"Don't say 'sucks', Jamie," She scolded him, sighing. "I'm not comfortable with you going out with them."

"Whatever, I'm going to bed," He grumbled out, standing up quickly. "This isn't fair," He said, crossing his arms.

"Maybe next time, Jamie," She said to him, looking up at him.

"Doubt it. I never get to do anything fun," He responded, glaring at her. "Brian just threw up down your back," He muttered, before stomping up the stairs.

Haley groaned, letting out a deep breath. She could worry about Jamie in a little bit, now she had to go change her shirt. Hell, at this point, it if had been on the front of her, she would have just wiped it off and continued on, but since it was down her back, it was a little more difficult.

"Oh, baby... Maybe we can go let you pick out a shirt for me, hm? Then maybe you won't throw up all over me?" She laughed at herself, cradling Brian close to her and heading up the stairs.

She stepped into her and Nathan's bedroom, carefully setting Brian down in his bassinet, pulling her shirt over her head and finding another one out of the closet. She looked over when her phone that was still laying on the bed lit up, Nathan's picture appearing on the screen.

Haley stepped over to the phone, scooping it up in her hands and holding it to her ear, "Hi," She answered, letting out a deep breath.

"Hey, how are things going?" He asked her in a hushed tone.

"Well, I'm shirtless again," She laughed, shaking her head. "Maybe it's just you that brings it out in me. The kids know I'm about to talk to you, so they help me out a little."

Nathan chuckled quietly, letting out a deep breath. "Well, wish I could be Facetiming you again then."

"There's nothing sexier than watching me strip off my shirt covered in baby spew," She informed him, shaking her head. She'd been talking to him for a minute, but he already made her feel better. Hearing his voice just made her heart flutter and miss him.

"So, listen..." He began, clearing his throat.

And just like that, it was gone.

"How many more days?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"It's not going super great, Haley. He's still on the fence about it, and I just need to convince him to let me be his agent, but his mom keeps whispering in his ear and it's throwing me off," He said, shaking his head. "Not too much longer, I swear. If there's not a decision by Monday, I'm coming home, okay? I'm really sorry, Hales..."

"No, Nathan... Don't apologize, it's your job," She said, biting her lip briefly. "Where are you right now?"

"I'm inside the car I rented, parked in front of their house. I just left," He said, sighing softly.

Haley looked over when she heard crying outside her bedroom door, inwardly groaning, and then, like magic, loud sobs erupted in her own bedroom.

"I have to go," She said quickly, "Love you, bye!" She hung up the phone, yanking her new t-shirt over her head, walking to the door and pulling it open.

Lydia latched onto her legs, crying against her jeans.

"Hey little one," Haley said quietly, brushing her fingers through Lydia's hair softly.

"I feel sick," Lydia whined out, looking up at her.

She really did not look like she was feeling well. Her skin was pale and clammy. She felt horrible that she hadn't noticed it sooner.

"I know, baby..." Haley said softly, rubbing her shoulders and glancing into her bedroom. "How about you come lay in Mommy and Daddy's bed, yeah? You can watch TV, while I calm down Brian, and then I'll be back to check on you."

"Okay..." Lydia responded, letting Haley guide her into the bedroom, and help her up onto the bed.

Haley found the remote to the TV, handing it to her and letting out a deep breath. "Okay, I'm going to take Brian out of here, alright? I'll be right back."

Lydia nodded at her, sliding underneath the covers and cuddling into the pillows, turning on the television.

Haley picked up the fussing baby, heading out of the room quickly, glancing over her shoulder at Lydia. She walked into the nursery, sitting down quickly in the rocking chair, shushing Brian quietly.

"You're okay, buddy," She said softly, smoothing out his hair, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. It seemed like his hair got thicker as the days went by. He looked so much like Nathan, it actually made her miss her husband a little bit more.

She felt his forehead with the back of her hand to make sure he wasn't hot. She definitely didn't want him to get sick either.

"You really are just like your dad, huh? Cry until you get the attention you need?" She joked, smiling as he calmed down. "Best of luck to me, right? Seems like so far, all three of you have inherited the things he does that make me give in. Not fair at all."

Haley grinned as her acknowledged that she was talking to him, flashing her a smile and making gurgling noises, reaching up to her face. "Yeah? You like when Mommy makes jokes, huh? I'm so funny, aren't I?" She laughed, kissing his forehead. "I love you, baby boy. Thank you for making me smile," She said, stroking her finger down his cheek. "Now, let's talk about this whole spitting up thing."

xxxx

Nathan glanced down as his phone started going off, shaking his head as he saw the time. Why the hell was his mom calling him at one in the morning?

He frowned, picking his phone up slowly out of the cup holder, holding it to his ear. "Hello?" He asked, clearing his throat.

"Nathan, I know you're out of town, but Jamie begged me to call you first instead of Haley," Deb began, letting out what sounded like an annoyed sigh.

"Jamie? What is Jamie doing at your house?" Nathan asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"Jamie, do you want to tell him or should I?"

Nathan heard Deb ask, his frown only deepening.

"He was throwing toilet paper at my house with a bunch of boys. They took off in the car and left behind Jamie and his friend Chuck," Deb informed him, clearing her throat.

"You're kidding," Nathan responded, scowling and rolling his eyes.

"Nope. William and Nicole each caught one of them by their sweatshirts as they were running away," She said, letting out a sigh.

"Well, you're in luck," Nathan began, letting out a groan. "I just landed in Tree Hill about fifteen minutes ago, I'm on my way home but I'll swing by and pick him up. Is Chuck still there?"

"Yes, he said his mother isn't home and he's staying with your friend Chase for the weekend," She informed him.

"Yeah, I'll pick both of them up. I'm really sorry, Mom," Nathan grumbled, rolling his eyes. "I'm on my way there right now. I'll see you in a little bit." He said, hanging up the phone and tossing it into the passenger seat, letting out a deep breath.

It didn't take long for Nathan to arrive at his mother's house, smoothing out his ruffled collar. He jumped out of the car, slamming the door behind him. He looked up at the toilet paper streamed through the trees and on the house, feeling his anger rise as her marched up to the front door, knocking on it loudly.

Deb opened it a second later, looking up at Nathan. "Hi, honey..." She said, letting out a deep breath. "Nice occasion?"

Nathan looked down at the wrinkled navy blue suit he was still wearing, shaking his head. "I had a meeting right before my flight and I didn't have time to change."

Deb looked over her shoulder towards the living room, "Come in," She said, stepping to the side.

Nathan walked into the house, shoving his hands into his pockets, letting out a deep breath. "Great timing on the phone call, Mom."

"I would have just brought him home myself but he begged me to call you," Deb responded in a hushed tone.

"Probably thought I would soften the blow to Haley," He grumbled, rolling his eyes. "I don't know what to do with him. He keeps acting out."

"You two are great parents, don't worry about it," Deb said, touching his cheek and smiling at him.

"If Dan was still alive, I'd send him to live with him for a week and tell Dan to rip him to shreds," He joked, before looking down. "Just kidding."

"I know," She said, shrugging her shoulders. "You could try hitting the bottles? Seemed to work for me?" She joked, nudging her elbow into his side.

"So not funny," Nathan laughed quietly, before looking towards the living room. "He's going to be wishing you called Haley in about five minutes."

"Just don't wake Nicole up again, she was really pissed off," Deb said, following his gaze.

"I'll scream in the car," Nathan said, squeezing his eyes shut. "He's going to clean this up."

"He better," Deb responded, gesturing towards the living room.

Nathan stormed in there angrily, his gaze landing on Jamie first, before shifting to chuck. "You two. Up, now."

"Dad? What are you doing home?" Jamie asked him quickly, springing to his feet quickly, Chuck following after.

"I can smell when you're about to make a mistake from states away," Nathan grumbled out, looking over his shoulder at Deb. "Now I think you both owe her the biggest apology."

"It wasn't just us!" Chuck defended quickly, before shutting up when Jamie smacked his stomach.

"Sorry," Jamie spit out, letting out a sigh and looking down.

"Now what are you going to spend your whole Saturday doing?" Nathan asked, grabbing onto Jamie's shoulder.

"Cleaning this up..." He responded, nodding his head.

"I'm taking you both home now," Nathan said, grabbing onto Chuck's shoulder. "They'll be here bright and early to clean up this mess."

"Have a good night, Nathan," Deb responded, crossing her arms.

Nathan nodded, leading them out of the house and towards his car. He shook his head, stopping Jamie when he moved to get in the front passenger seat. "No way, kid. In the back with Chuck." He said, before walking around the car, getting in the drivers seat and starting it up.

"Did you already call Chase?" Chuck asked quietly, raising his eyebrows and climbing in the car.

"You bet your troublemaker ass I did," Nathan said, looking over at him. "Things are going to start changing if you two don't get your shit together," He said, beginning to drive towards Tric.

"What does that mean?" Jamie asked him, scowling slightly.

"Don't take that tone with me, James Lucas Scott. I know why you had her call me. You thought I was out of town, so maybe I'd be able to call your mom and take the brunt of it while she freaked out," Nathan said quickly, letting out a disappointed sigh.

"It wasn't my idea!" Jamie argued, shaking his head. "Chuck thought of it first."

"Hey!" Chuck grumbled, punching Jamie in the arm. "Thanks a lot."

"I don't give a rats ass who came up with him, this is your grandmother's house, Jamie, so you should have known better," Nathan said, glaring at the road ahead of him. "I'm disappointed in both of you. It's best that you don't say anything else for the rest of the ride."

Upon arriving at Tric, Nathan saw Chase waiting outside in a bathrobe, looking a little grumpy.

"Come on, Chuck," Nathan said, getting out of the car, waiting for Chuck to walk around.

"You don't have to come with me," Chuck grumbled, looking up at him.

"You might run," Nathan said, walking over to Chase, letting out a deep breath.

"Thanks for giving him a ride home, Nathan," Chase responded, placing his arm around Chuck's shoulders. "What time are they cleaning it up?"

"I'm going to take Jamie over at eight, I think," Nathan said, glancing towards the car.

"Alright, well I'll see you then," Chase said, looking back inside. "Alright, Scolnik. Let's get inside so we can have a chat." He said, nodding at Nathan and leading Chuck inside.

Nathan walked back over to the car, letting out a deep breath and leaning back in his seat, squeezing his eyes shut.

Having a teenager seemed to be getting harder and harder. Especially when he was sneaking out to toilet paper his own grandma's house.

"Are you going to tell Mom?" Jamie asked quietly, clearing his throat.

"Yeah," Nathan responded, shrugging his shoulders. "You're grounded. For a long time."

"Whatever," Jamie grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat.

"It's not 'whatever', Jamie. You're a great kid, I don't understand why you just did what you did!" Nathan said, letting out a deep breath.

"Because they wanted to do it, and Chuck suggested we do it to Jordan's house," Jamie said quietly, shrugging.

"Why didn't you try to stop them?" Nathan responded, shaking his head.

"Because they wanted to and I didn't want to be the only one that didn't want to," Jamie said, looking down.

Nathan sighed, biting back a response and shaking his head, keeping his gaze on the road.

There was an uncomfortable silence the whole ride home, Nathan was fuming but he didn't want to explode too horribly.

When they pulled into the garage, he jumped out quickly, slamming the car door behind him, walking into the house.

Jamie followed after him, keeping his head down. He shut the door into the house loudly, causing another glare from Nathan.

"Bed. Now," Nathan said, pointing up the stairs. "You're in huge trouble. I'll be up there bright and early tomorrow to give you a long list of punishments." He informed him, flicking on the lights in the kitchen.

"Yeah, okay..." Jamie grumbled, rolling his eyes and heading up up the stairs, passing a confused looking Haley on the way up.

"Jamie, what are you-" She cut herself off as he kept walking, ignoring her completely.

She finished descending the stairs, her eyes meeting Nathan's. She wanted to smile, but the scowl on his face told her otherwise.

"What are you doing home?" She asked him, frowning slightly.

"I'll tell you later," He said, stepping towards her in long strides, resting his hand on her back and guiding her over to the couch, taking a seat.

Haley raised her eyebrows, looking at him and sitting down next to him, glancing towards the stairs.

"My mom called me on my way home. Jamie, Chuck and some other boys where caught toilet papering their house," Nathan told her, his scowl deepening as he explained it to her.

Haley gasped, covering her mouth and staring at her husband. "Are you serious?" She asked him, shaking her head.

"Yes," Nathan grumbled, kicking the leg of the coffee table in front of him, letting out a deep breath. "I don't know if I've ever been this mad at him."

Haley brushed her fingers through her hair, pressing her face into her hands and letting out a sigh.

"Why was he out at this hour?" Nathan asked her, frowning and shaking his head. "Did he sneak out?"

"He must have! I told him he couldn't hang out with them, and he was pretty mad at me," Haley groaned, lifting her head out of her hands and looking at him. "He'd been in his room since we argued about it, but he was in there at ten when I said good night to him."

"He is so screwed," Nathan grumbled, squeezing his hands into fists and rolling his eyes.

"I didn't want him hanging out with kids that are older than him, kids that can drive!" She said, letting out a deep breath. "I can't believe he would do something like this, Nathan."

"This is something that I would have done," Nathan grumbled out, crossing his arms. "What the hell are we going to do, Haley?"

"I don't know..." She trailed off, staring at the blank TV in front of them. "I'll tell you something though, he's on strict rules. He can go to school, he can come home, no electronics, no friends. Homework and sleeping."

"I thought this was going to get better after my little talk with him last month," He said, running a frustrated hand through his hair, yanking his suit coat over his shoulders and tossing it to the side.

"I know," Haley responded, biting her lip, resting a hand on his tensed up back.

"He's so inconsiderate!" He said, careful to keep his voice down so he wouldn't wake up Lydia or Brian. "I'm so angry at him right now, I don't know if I'll even be able to look at him tomorrow without my head exploding."

"I'm sorry, Nathan... I should've heard him leaving," She said softly, rubbing his back lightly.

"It's not your fault. You've had a long day and deserve the sleep you've gotten. It's all Jamie's fault. Remember when he got into that fight around this time last year and you cleaned out his room? Can you do that again tomorrow?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes," She responded, letting out a deep breath, smoothing her hand over his shoulders.

"You're keeping such a level head right now, thank you..." He grumbled, pressing his face into his hands.

Haley nodded, continuing to stroke her hand over the tense muscles in his back, trying to calm him down a bit. There was nothing they could do about it tonight.

When he looked back up, her heart dropped down into her stomach at the sight in front of her. He had tears in the corners of his eyes, looking at her with one of saddest frowns she'd ever seen in her life. In fact, it almost perfectly matched the same one Lydia had given her earlier when she'd been crying.

"What am I doing wrong?" Nathan asked her quietly, shaking his head.

Haley immediately swept him into her arms, hugging his head against her chest, pressing a kiss into his thick, dark hair. "Oh, baby..." She trailed off, biting her lip as tears welled in her own eyes.

He'd switched moods very quickly. From super pissed off, to on the verge of tears, and she almost preferred the pissed off attitude to this one, because this one broke her heart.

"You're not doing anything wrong, Nathan..." Haley began, looking down at him and letting out a deep breath, trying to keep it together as she consoled him. "You're an amazing father."

"I don't feel like one right now," He said quietly, it being muffled by her shirt.

Haley held him for a little bit longer, before pushing his head up and sending him a small, comforting smile. "Nathan, you know I like to correct you if you're doing something wrong. If I didn't feel like you were the best father, I would tell you," She attempted to joke.

Nathan cracked a smile, wiping at his eyes and looking at her. "I'm sorry, Haley... I just feel like I've failed you somehow, and I've failed him."

"No, honey... This doesn't have anything to do with you," She assured him, brushing her fingers through his hair. "He makes his own mistakes."

He nodded slowly, letting out a sigh and tearing his gaze from hers, staring down at the ground.

She smoothed her hand along his back, standing up after a moment and holding her hand out to him.

Nathan grabbed onto her hand, standing up slowly and sending her a small smile.

Haley dropped his hand, her arms sliding around his waist easily, hugging him close to her.

Nathan wrapped his arms tightly around her, squeezing his eyes shut and resting his chin on her head.

"What are you doing home?" She asked him quietly, taking a step back and staring up at him, keeping her hands rested on his waist.

"After I got off the phone with you, I went back up to their house, and told them that I believe in their son, and I think he's going to do great things, but I have a wife who has been home alone with a sick kid, a crying baby, and a teenager that's doing god knows what for a few days now, and I couldn't spend anymore time away from her. I told them that they needed to make a decision now, or I was going to walk, because I couldn't spend a couple more days away from her." He informed her, letting out a deep breath. "And you're looking at his new agent. I guess they appreciated all that I was doing for them, making the changes I made, but in the end I was going to put my family first."

Haley bit her lip, standing on her toes and kissing him deeply, allowing her eyes to flutter shut. She gave his waist a soft tug closer to her, before parting from him briefly.

"Not a great father, my ass..." She whispered, smoothing out his shirt. "You're the best father, and the best husband."

He smiled slightly, resting his hands on her shoulders, brushing his thumb along her covered collar bones.

"I'm serious, Nathan..." She told him, looking up at him and nodding. She kissed him again, eyes fluttering shut.

One of Nathan's hands moved up to cup her face, while the other kept a light grip on her t-shirt.

"Thank you so much," Haley whispered, kissing him between each word. "You're amazing, Nathan Scott. I know you may not always feel amazing, but you are..." She hummed, grabbing onto one of his hands, holding it against her chest, over her heart.

"You're still doing sweet things for me, after all these years... You still make my heart race," She told him, nodding up at him and letting out a deep breath.

"Yeah, well you make mine race too..." He told her, swooping his head down and kissing her again. "I missed you."

"I missed you so much," She responded, smiling up at him. "I'm sorry you had to come home to shitty circumstances."

"As long as you're here, that's where I want to be," He chuckled, kissing her forehead. "Even if I have to lay down the law."

"I love you," She said softly, nodding up at him. "Always and forever, right?"

"Always and forever," He repeated back to her, kissing her once more. "Where am I sleeping tonight, Haley James?"

"I made Lydia sleep in her own room, which she was pretty upset about. But I just didn't want Brian to get sick. She had a fever around eight o'clock, but it didn't last long and was back down by the time she went to bed," She said, letting out a deep breath. "And as much as I want you next to me tonight, I think one of us should get in with her."

"I'll take the sick kid shift," He said, smiling down at her. "I don't exactly have the materials I need to feed a crying baby at night."

"He takes a bottle just fine, and you know that," Haley said, smiling up at him.

"Yeah, but you've been thrown up on today. Not just baby spit up, but actual throw up. So I'll stick with the sicky, and you have fun with the crying baby," He laughed, stepping into the kitchen where he'd dropped his duffle bag, picking it up again and slinging it over his shoulder.

Haley picked up his jacket off the couch, folding it over her arm and smiling at him as he moved to turn off the lights.

He walked over to her in the dark, turning on the flashlight in his phone. He grabbed onto her free hand with his own, smiling at her.

"You know, the only good thing about sleeping away from you is that I can wear the loose boxers that I like to wear, instead of the boxer briefs that you make me wear because you like to see my goods," He joked, smiling down at her.

"Nathan!" She groaned quietly, shaking her head and beginning to follow him up the stairs. "I don't make you do anything. And that's not the reason, I bought them for you because you're an adult, and you should wear adult underwear. You've been wearing them for like thirteen years now, get over it."

"Blah, blah, blah..." He laughed, smiling over at her and shaking head. "We all know the real reason, no need to make up excuses."

She laughed quietly, shaking her head and walking into their bedroom with him. "I'm not going to confirm, or deny..."

He smiled at her, ducking his head down and kissing her softly, shrugging his shoulders. "You don't have to," He hummed, squeezing her hand, before parting from her.

Haley watched with a small smile on her face as Nathan changed out of his wrinkled suit and got ready for bed, biting her lip.

He was the best father in the world, and it broke her heart when he doubted himself and his abilities. They'd figure out what to do about Jamie, and he'd eventually go back to being the sweet kid he was the majority of the time.

Once he was finished getting ready for bed, he stepped back over to her, kissing her once more.

"Okay, you have fun in here with the crying boy, I'll go in there with sicky, and then we'll meet up in the morning to figure out what to do with trouble," He said, sending her a small smile.

Haley cupped his cheek, brushing her thumb along the grown out facial hair there. It was finally reaching the point where it was a little softer when they kissed, not that she didn't love the stubble brushing against her face. She stood on her toes, kissing him yet again.

"Alright, handsome. I'll miss you. Tomorrow, there's nothing keeping you from my bed," She laughed, winking up at him.

"Absolutely not," He said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I love you, baby."

"I love you too, Nathan. I'm glad you're home," She said, nodding at him.

"Me too," He said, kissing her forehead and forcing himself to part with her. "Let's say we meet up at..." He glanced at the time on his phone. "Seven? Six-thirty? I'm dropping Jamie off to clean up at eight, and I might hang around awhile to yell if they stop working."

"I'll probably be up at five with Brian, so whenever works for me," She said, nodding up at him.

"Alright," He said, nodding at her and stepping to their bedroom door, turning to look at her a smiling. "Wish me luck? Word on the street is that you can't make a full day in this house without needing to change clothes at least once?"

"Good luck," She laughed, shaking her head. "Just make sure you come in here to change so I can get a peak at the goods," She joked, winking at him.

Nathan laughed quietly, nodding at her, before exiting the room.


	67. Chapter 67

**I figured an update is probably due on this story. It's been a few months. I just love this story, and when I find the time to write it, I have a lot of fun. I miss Naley and One Tree Hill. Thank you for reading!**

 **Chapter 67**

"Honey, I'm not sure what you want me to say..."

Haley trailed off, from inside the shower, brushing her fingers through her hair and letting out a deep breath.

Nathan kicked his legs from his seat on the bathroom countertop, spinning the baby monitor in his hand and groaning.

"That's not very helpful," He said, looking towards the shower.

"Nathan, I'm in the shower. Can you give me a few minutes?" She responded, opening the shower door and poking her head out.

"No," He said, shrugging his shoulders. "I need your help. What do I say to this?"

She looked at him for a moment, before tucking her head back inside the shower, shutting her eyes. "Read it to me again."

"Hey Nathan, it's Grayson. Do you think you have some free time tonight? I want to meet up with you for a little while," Nathan read out loud, looking down at his phone.

"Maybe he's trying to smooth things over with you, Nathan..." She told him, shrugging her shoulders.

"Baby, that doesn't help me at all," Nathan informed her, running his fingers through his hair, setting the baby monitor on the counter.

"I don't know what you want me to tell you then," She chuckled, a small smile forming on her face.

"How do you think he even got my phone number?" He asked her, crossing his arms.

"He lives with your sister," Haley reminded him, squeezing her eyes shut.

"If I don't respond, do you think that he'll think he has the wrong number?" Nathan questioned, raising his eyebrows.

"I don't think you should do that," She told him, shaking her head. "Maybe you should just meet up with him and smooth things over completely."

"You know how much I like holding a grudge," Nathan reminded her, chuckling quietly and tapping his fingers on the countertop.

"Oh, stop it," Haley laughed, rolling her eyes. "I think that if she can forgive him, you can drop the whole protective older brother thing. I hate the awkward silences."

Nathan watched her through the shower door, sighing softly. "I don't know, Hales..."

Haley poked her head out again, sending him a smile. "Hey, if you want to pretend like you never saw it, I'll stand by you if I ever get asked about it."

Nathan smiled at her, laughing and nodding his head. "But..."

She laughed, winking at him, "But, I think you should talk to him, of course."

"Yeah, yeah..." He sighed, pushing his hand through his hair. "How much longer are you going to be?"

"I just started my shower, Nathan... You didn't have to follow me in here, you know..." She trailed off, rolling her eyes and closing the shower door once again.

"I missed you," He informed her, chuckling quietly. "And your sour attitude."

"Nathan Scott, I do not have a sour attitude," She responded, shaking her head.

"I figured if I came in here with you and annoyed you, you'd get out sooner," He said, clearing his throat.

"Well, you've been out of town, so you don't know that this is what I do now. I drop the kids off at school, put Brian down for a nap, and then shower until he wakes up," Haley informed him, humming softly.

"Damn," Nathan chuckled, kicking his legs against the cupboards, sighing softly. "Is that true?"

"No," She responded, "But I really wish it was."

"You never answered my question... How much longer do you think you'll be?" He asked, clearing his throat. "I need help."

"With what?" She replied, laughing quietly.

"Uh, my text message dilemma..."

"You're being awfully needy, aren't you?" She said, smiling slightly. "Alright, alright... I'll get out now."

"I'm not needy, I just want your constant attention when I'm home," He informed her, smirking slightly. He hopped off the counter when the shower shut off, rushing forward to grab her towel, holding it open for her.

Haley climbed out of the shower, flashing her husband a grin as she stepped into his awaiting arms, leaning into him when her wrapped then towel around her tightly, pulling her against his chest.

"Thanks," She said softly, winking up at him.

He nuzzled his nose into her shampoo scented hair, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "Maybe I am a little bit needy."

"You know, I should get to be the needy one," She laughed, looking up at him. "You're the one that keeps leaving me here with three moody children."

"Don't make me feel bad," He said, shaking his head. "We need to figure out something to help with a moodiness, don't we? Lydia is hopeless, she has your mood swings."

"Oh, we are not getting into this conversation again. I'm not the one with the crazy mood swings, Punchy," She told him, rolling her eyes and heading out of the bathroom.

"I beg to differ, Slappy," He laughed, grabbing the baby monitor off the countertop, following after her quickly. He took a seat on the end of the bed, raising his eyebrows at her.

She held back a grin, sending him a dirty look, "Quiet, you..."

Nathan opened his mouth to respond, before shutting it quickly and smirking as she dropped her towel, "What were we talking about again?"

"You had every opportunity to jump into the shower with me, and for some reason you chose not to. Don't give me that 'What were we talking about again?' crap, because it's not going to happen," She hummed out, looking over her shoulder and winking at him.

Nathan jumped up to his feet quickly, ready to rush over to her, before there was a faint cry from the baby monitor.

"Saved by the bell," She hummed out, nodding towards the door.

"Obviously it's been awhile since you've seen how quickly I can get a baby to go back to sleep when I'm trying to get some from my smoking hot wife. Don't put any clothes on, I'll be back in no more than six minutes," He said, pointing at her and rushing out of the room.

Haley laughed, ignoring his words and beginning to get dressed anyways. She listened closely when she heard him enter the room through the baby monitor, her heart melting as she heard Nathan attempt to calm down the crying baby.

When the crying turned into laughter from both of them, she knew that there was no way Nathan was coming back into the room.

She picked up the monitor so that she could hear more, and walked into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

xxxx

"You never told me what to say," Nathan grumbled out, glancing over her, adjusting the controller in his hands.

Haley shifted her gaze over to him from Brian, raising her eyebrows and laughing. "Why am I supposed to tell you what to say? It's your phone, and your conversation."

"Fifty-fifty, Haley. It's half your conversation," He argued with her, pausing the game to pull his phone out of his pocket and set it down on the couch between them.

"I'm not sure it works that way, babe..." She responded, bouncing their son lightly in her arms as his tiny little hand reached up to try and touch her chin.

"It works that way today," He told her, nodding towards his phone. "Respond."

"We don't like Daddy's tone, do we little man?" She hummed down to Brian, smiling down at him. "Look at that scowl he has on his face, that's the same one you and your siblings have."

"Doubt it, that's all you," He snorted out, looking at her again. "You're making me grouchy though."

"I'm making you grouchy?" She laughed, pushing her hand into Nathan's arm. "I didn't do anything."

"Uhh, Nathan, stop being handsy in front of the baby, uhh Nathan I won't text him back for you, you have to do it yourself," He mimicked her, nodding at her and turning his focus back to the game.

"Oh, quit it, Nathan," She laughed, scooting closer to him and smiling. "I won't be texting him back for you."

He looked at her again, letting out a sigh, pausing his game again. He set the controller down on the couch next to him, slouching down until his head was level with her shoulder, leaning over and resting against her.

"So we're friends again?" She asked him, laughing and glancing down at him, kissing his head.

"I guess so," He responded, looking at Brian and sighing softly. "Maybe you should put Brian in the swing and cuddle with me on the couch."

Haley raised one hand, and brushed her hand down her husband's chin, stroking the hair on his face lightly. "Respond to Gray and maybe I will."

"That's so mean," He whined, lifting his head up and looking at her. He slid his arm around her shoulders, letting out a deep breath.

She picked up his phone, setting it on his leg, looking down at Brian. "Hi," She hummed to him, staring down at his big brown eyes.

"Hey," Nathan responded, smirking when she glanced up at him, kissing her temple lightly. "I'm busy tonight anyways," He informed her, squeezing her shoulder.

"Doing what?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Spending time with my family," He informed her, nuzzling his nose into her freshly cleaned hair, sucking in a deep breath. "Maybe I'll take Jamie to play basketball."

"He's still grounded," She said, shaking her head. "He's lucky we even let him play on the team."

"Spending some desperately needed one on one time with you," He said, tugging on her shirt sleeve lightly.

"Yeah, I don't see that fitting into my plans either," She joked, looking up at him and smiling.

"Okay, fine, taking care of everyone. I'm busy. You're going to go have fun with Quinn, and Clay is going to come here with Skylar, and we're going to have a father child play date," He said, gesturing around.

"I can get on board with that," She said, standing up at setting Brian down on the swing next to the couch. "Big spoon or little spoon, Nathan Scott?"

Nathan chuckled, texting Grayson back a quick, easy message that explained that he was busy watching the kids tonight, before laying back and stretching out along the couch. "I'm almost always big spoon, Haley James. You're so small."

"Yeah, but you're in a needy, submissive mood, which is usually when you like to be the little spoon," She informed him, shrugging her shoulders. "So where do you want me?"

Nathan fell on his back, tapping his chest. "On top of me," He hummed, nodding at her.

She laughed, laying down and sliding up him, her legs resting between his, her head laying on his chest.

Nathan reached up, grabbing the throw blanket from off the back of the couch, dropping it on top of them.

"I'll have you know, that I'm feeling independent and dominant," He said, looking down at her and shrugging his shoulders.

"Okay, you're right..." She hummed, kissing his chest and smiling at him.

"Thank you," He said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Wait a minute, are you letting me think that?"

Haley laughed, shrugging her shoulders and looking up at his face. "I don't know, Nathan... Am I?"

He sighed, shaking his head and rubbing her back lightly. "I don't care," He informed her, stretching out his legs, yawning.

She smiled, letting out a deep breath. "I missed you," She informed him.

"I don't doubt it," He chuckled, closing his eyes, hugging her tightly to him.

"You're going to be home for our anniversary right?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Of course. Perks of working for yourself, I get to do whatever the hell I want, it's awesome," He chuckled, nodding.

"Yeah, that's why you were relaxing on a beach in Florida with basketball players on the Miami Heat last week," She teased him, nudging her face against his chest.

"It's all work, babe..." He joked, squeezing her waist. "I'm basically forced into it."

"Yeah, I bet," Haley laughed, shutting her eyes and smiling slightly.

"Anyways, you know I'm miserable when you're not around," He responded, letting out a deep breath.

"You don't need to butter me up, Nathan, I was just joking," She laughed, scooting up him slightly so that she could press her nose against his neck.

"I know, but I love you and don't want you to think that I'm having a great time without you," He said, sliding one hand up her back, curling her hair around his fingers.

Haley smiled, nodding her head and letting out a deep breath, "I love you too," She hummed out, closing her eyes once again. "Wake me up when you decide it's time for you to little spoon, last time you knocked me off the couch trying to maneuver it by yourself."

"I said I was sorry!" He groaned, looking down at her quickly and rolling his eyes.

She laughed, shaking her head. "I'm kidding, baby... Relax and go to sleep before Brian realizes that one of us isn't holding him."

"Good idea," He said, hugging her against him, smiling and letting out a deep breath.

"I'm full of them," Haley responded, shifting slightly, rubbing his shirt between her fingertips.

"That I already know," He informed her, closing his eyes and yawning.

"I'm so glad that you're finally getting it," She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Some days you have good ideas," He said, nodding at her. "Let me clarify that."

She shook her head, getting up off him slowly. "Take it back."

"Haley," He whined, reaching out to grab her hand. "Just shut it, and come be my big spoon."

"I knew you were stalling," She laughed, pushing down on his chest. "Get up. I've also fallen off the couch by being on the outside. Side note, maybe we should stop cuddling on the couch?"

"No way," He said, standing up slowly, gesturing for her to lay down. "You're forced to stay close to me on the couch. In bed you can scoot away."

"But I don't," She reminded him, laying down and shaking her head. "Okay, come here Clingy. You can have your fifteen minutes of joy."

xxxx

"Okay, are you two good here?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows and looking at Nathan and Clay.

"Um, Hales... You know that this is going to be a disaster, right?" Clay responded, nodding his head.

"Clayton, it is not going to be a disaster," Quinn laughed, ruffling Clay's hair. "You're going to have so much fun. Remember to send me a video when Nathan is struggling with calming down their third child."

"Oh, Quinn... I don't know why your comedy career hasn't taken flight yet," Nathan responded, grinning at her, patting Brian's back lightly.

"You two will be fine, trust me. We're just going to a movie so we won't be gone that long. I'll keep my phone on vibrate so if you need anything, call me..." Haley said, smiling at her husband.

"Haley, I've been a parent as long as you have. I have this under control, trust me. We're going to have fun, I'm lifting Jamie's room ban for the night so he can entertain Logan, I've got Lydia set up for shoulder massages every hour. This is going to be easy," Nathan responded, leaning down and kissing her forehead.

"You're lucky, I tried to get Brooke and Peyton in on this as well but Sawyer is sick and Julian has been gone for the last couple of days scouting some filming locations so Brooke wanted to spend time with him," Haley said, poking his chest. "You could've had Lucas, Sawyer, Julian, Davis, and Jude here."

"Funny, some people actually want to spend time with their spouses when they've been gone for a little while," Clay said, patting Nathan's shoulder.

"Hey, it was his idea," Haley laughed, holding up her hands defensively.

She glanced over when the door bell rang, looking up at Nathan. "I wonder who that is..." She trailed off, raising her eyebrows.

Nathan narrowed his eyes at her, immediately understanding that she was up to something. "Haley James..." He warned, shaking his head.

"I'll get it," Haley offered, hurrying towards the front door. She pulled it open quickly, glancing over her shoulder towards Nathan. "Look who it is! Grayson and Megan."

"How convenient," Nathan grumbled under his breath, looking at Haley once again, wanting to roll his eyes at the mock apologetic look she was sending.

She played him. Dammit.

"Looks like we're all ready to go. You guys have fun tonight," Haley hummed waving at them.

Nathan walked over to her, scowling slightly. "Don't you want to say goodbye to Lydia and Jamie?"

"Already did," She assured him, kissing the back of Brian's head before looking up at Nathan. She pressed a brief kiss to his lips, winking at him. "Call me if you need me. I love you, honey."

"Yeah, you too..." He grumbled, pulling the front door open wider, watching the three women each bid farewell and then walk out.

"And then we never saw them again," Clay announced, grinning over at Nathan. "Okay, fellas... Who is ready for this wild night of partying with children?"

Nathan sighed, looking down at Brian and shaking his head. "I hope mine starts screaming and wakes up both of yours."

"Take it easy, Nate," Clay said, smirking at him. "We can crack open a cold one with the boys. And by that, I mean juice and water for the kids, milk for the babies, and for us..." He gestured towards Nathan, raising his eyebrows.

"I have some Coke Zero in the fridge in the garage," Nathan shrugged, looking down at Brian, shifting him slightly.

"I'll go get it," Clay offered, clapping his hands together, hurrying towards the garage.

"Hey," Grayson said, offering him a small nod.

Nathan looked at him and nodded back, before looking at Natalie, who was still in her car seat. He waved at her, clicking his tongue and watching her eyes light up in confusion, trying to mimic his actions before a huge grin formed on her face.

He laughed, glancing over at Grayson, before holding Brian out to him. "Can I hold her?"

Grayson nodded, taking Brian from his arms and clearing his throat. "Sure."

Nathan unbuckled her with ease, lifting her out carefully. "Hey little one," He cooed to her, smiling brightly when she broke out into another grin.

"You did that quick, I still struggle with the carseat part," Grayson said, chuckling quietly.

"With a wife like Haley, you either keep up or you get left behind," Nathan responded, laughing and shaking his head. "Hi, hi..." He repeated to the baby in his arms as she reached for his face. "You are getting big, kid... Six months?" He asked, looking over at Grayson.

"Five months. She was born in June," Grayson said, nodding.

"Well, it looks like all of the best babies were born in June. Me, you, Jamie..." Nathan listed, grinning down at Natalie. He glanced over at his own son in Grayson's arms. "And August, sorry buddy..."

Now, if he could just keep talking to the babies all night instead of Grayson, he wouldn't need to have any awkward conversations.

Clay, of course, took an extremely long time returning with the drinks. When he did finally walk back into the room, he grinned at Nathan. "Isn't that a sight for sore eyes?"

"Shut it, Clay," Nathan laughed, rolling his eyes. "My next kid, I want a girl."

"You're not having a next kid," Clay laughed, setting the drinks on the countertop.

"Oh, I'm having another kid. Haley says she's done, but I can tell she's just screwing with me. Just wait until Brian isn't as dependent," He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "I mean, ultimately it's her body, so it's her choice, but... we're going to have at least five, I know it."

"Whatever you say, Nate..." Clay responded, looking at Grayson, shaking his head. "Tell me that you're ready for the night of your life."

"See, I don't know you that well, but for some reason, when that phrase leaves your mouth, it scares me," Grayson chuckled, shrugging his shoulders and patting Brian's back lightly.

"I'm a guy you can trust. Believe me when I say that I'll do you no harm. I'm looking out for you and your best interest," Clay said, nodding at him and grinning slightly.

"Clay, are you pitching to him? He doesn't need an agent," Nathan laughed, rolling his eyes.

"Okay, well then I take that back. I'd be a little scared of me," Clay said, shrugging his shoulders. "But only because of my awesome dance moves."

"There's going to be dancing involved?" Grayson asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No, there won't be any dancing involved. Come on, let's go see what we can find on TV," Nathan said, smoothing his hand over Natalie's back, shifting her so that her head was rested against his shoulder.

"I don't know how they can leave us for the night, look at us and our babies..." Clay laughed, rushing over to the swing and picking up Skylar. "Hey buddy," He hummed down to the sleeping baby, before walking over to the two men he'd left. "This should totally be on the cover of a magazine."

Grayson shrugged his shoulders, "Why don't you get to work on setting it up?" He replied, nodding.

Nathan sighed at the conversation, walking over to the couch and taking a seat, grabbing the remote and flipping on the TV.

After a little while of watching TV, Greyson left the room to go out Natalie down for a nap in Brian's crib.

Nathan glared over at Clay, raising his eyebrows. "What's your angle, Evans?"

"It's hard for you to look menacing when you're feeding a baby," Clay laughed, tapping Brian's bottle lightly, a grin forming on his face.

"You leave the room like every fifteen seconds. What's up with that?" Nathan replied, scowling at him.

"I'm just taking orders, man. And I was told to get you alone with him as much as possible," Clay informed him, chuckling quietly. "I told you, Nate, you avoid things."

"I don't-" He let out a deep breath as he started to raise his voice. "I don't avoid things, Clay..."

"Oh right, you just ignore them as long as you possibly can..." Clay chuckled, patting his shoulder lightly. "I do what Haley says, she's small but terrifying."

"She's all talk," Nathan said, looking down at Brian and sighing softly. "I can't believe she set me up. She told me she wouldn't do this."

"She's sneaky, Nathan... I've been telling you that for years. She somehow knows every move you're about to make, and she knows exactly how to trick you," Clay laughed, looking over at Skylar, who was back in the swing again.

"She knows me way too well," He said, looking over at Clay. "Listen to me, I'm your best friend. I don't want to have a sappy talk about feelings talk tonight, so forget any orders Haley gave you."

"No can do," Clay laughed, shrugging. "You don't look menacing holding a baby, but she sure as hell does."

"She's like five-four, Clay! How can she be scary to you?" Nathan grumbled, staring up at the TV.

Lydia walked into the room before Clay could respond, walking over to Nathan, tapping his knee.

Nathan smiled at her, raising his eyebrows. "Hey Lyds," He said, nodding his head.

"I'm bored..." Lydia whined, looking at him and batting her eyelashes. "Will you come play with me?"

"I'll come play with you, brown eyes," Clay said, standing up quickly. He scooped Lydia up, hanging her over his shoulder. "Nate, I'll take my phone and if Sky wakes up, just give me a call."

Nathan sighed, nodding his head an watching Clay hurry up the stairs with Lydia.

It wasn't long before Grayson came back down stairs, still holding Natalie. He took a seat on the opposite side of the couch, glancing over at Nathan.

"She didn't want to sleep in there," He said, chuckling quietly.

"That's too bad," Nathan responded, unsure of how to respond to his comment. This was really the first time he'd ever spent any one on one time with Grayson, and he knew hardly anything about him.

Maybe he should go put Brian upstairs to lengthen the no-talking time?

Dammit, he really did avoid things. Not that he would ever admit that out loud.

He could feel Grayson looking at him while he kept his gaze pinned to the TV.

Don't talk, don't talk, don't talk...

"So, uh..."

Dammit.

"Can we talk for a second?" Grayson asked, clearing his throat.

Nathan reluctantly forced his hand to pick up the TV remote and mute the sound, looking over at Grayson and raising his eyebrows.

"I know you're not my biggest fan, Nathan," Grayson said, shrugging slightly. "To be honest, I don't really know you well enough to determine whether I like you or not, but you talked some sense into me when no one else could, and I've been blessed because of it," He informed him, nodding down at Natalie. "This isn't me asking for forgiveness, because I honestly don't owe you an apology."

Nathan nodded, staying silent, his gaze falling onto Natalie once again.

Before he could respond, Grayson started talking again.

"Look, I know you can kick my ass, so believe me, I'm on my guard when I say this shit, but eventually punching people isn't going to work out for you," Grayson said, shrugging his shoulders. "So, I don't really care what happens, but Megan does."

Nathan raised his eyebrows, opening his mouth once again before Grayson cut him off once more.

"And this isn't me asking for your permission, but if we can get past it, know that I will ask for your permission, but I want to marry her someday. She makes me a better person, and turned me into an adult pretty much," Grayson said, nodding at him and letting out a deep breath. "So there you have it. If this isn't going to change anything, we're done here. But even though I don't owe you one, I'm sorry for the way that I treated your sister. I just want to clear the air and stop all the awkward tension, and so does Megan."

"Are you finished?" Nathan asked him, shrugging his shoulders and looking at him.

"Yeah," Grayson responded, shifting Natalie in his arms.

Nathan shifted Brian so that he was in one arm, holding his hand out to Grayson.

Grayson reached over, shaking his hand and letting out a deep breath.

"I'm not sorry for beating you up," Nathan said, chuckling quietly. "But I am sorry for being an asshole even after you completely proved that you were here to stick around, and that you care about Megan and Natalie," He informed him, sighing softly. "I like to hold grudges against anyone but my wife and Clay. I held a grudge against my brother for sixteen years, so..."

"Really, I think you hold grudges because you like to avoid the confrontation of talking feelings with someone. It makes you feel vulnerable, which you don't like. Just a guess," Grayson responded, shrugging his shoulders,

Nathan scowled for a brief second at his accusation, before looking down at Brian. "Yeah, well... I'm sorry. But that isn't going to stop me from keeping my eyes on you for the next few years. I will not hesitate to punch you in the face again. Clearly, Megan doesn't mind if I punch anyone in the face for her. Hell, I punched her dad in the face. If you deserve it, then you're going to get it. Beating people up has always worked for me, and it probably always will."

"Fair enough," Grayson said, shrugging again. "I do love her though, and I'm a completely different person than I was when you showed up at my apartment."

"I believe you," Nathan said, nodding his head. "Parenting forces you to grow up fast. I'm glad you stepped up."

"Me too," Grayson confirmed, smiling and letting out a deep breath. "That's all I have to say though, so we can keep watching the movie."

Nathan laughed, nodding his head and looking up at the TV, before glancing back over at Grayson. "I've actually heard you're pretty damn good at video games. What do you say I take over both babies, and you level me up in every video game I own?" He suggested, setting the bottle down on the coffee table, setting the spit up rag over his shoulder and resting Brian's head against it, patting his back lightly.

Grayson looked over and laughed, nodding his head. "I can definitely do that for you. I've heard that you kind of suck, so you need some help."

"Hey, despite whatever Megan says, I let her win," Nathan replied, shaking his head.

"Sure, sure..." Grayson laughed, shifting Natalie into one arm, standing up and grabbing the playstation controller, turning it on.

Nathan looked over at him, shaking his head when he sat back down. "Whatever, man, just play the game."

xxxx

"Hey, I'll see you later," Nathan said, shaking Grayson's hand as he headed out the door to put the carseat back into the car.

Grayson nodded his head, "Yeah, see you later, man," He replied, smiling at him, before heading out the front door to the minivan.

"That looked successful," Megan said, pushing on Nathan's shoulder lightly. "Can't believe you're coming around."

"Easy," Nathan laughed, dropping his arm around Megan's shoulders. "I'm just warming up to you and your sisters. Don't push anyone new on me."

"You totally made a new friend tonight! Congratulations, Nathan!" She laughed, giving him a side hug. "And you also just admitted you like us."

"I said I'm warming up to you," He laughed, rolling his eyes. "Drive home safe, Megan," He said, gesturing to the door.

Megan laughed, nodding at him. "Bye, Natey..." She hummed out, looking over at Haley and smiling, pulling her into a hug. "I had so much fun tonight, Hales. I'll see you later."

"Me too," Haley hummed, waving at her as she headed outside.

Nathan shut the door and looked over at Haley, raising his eyebrows at her. "Miss James," He said, offering her a small nod.

"If you're going formal, you aren't even going to call me Mrs. Scott? Yikes, you must be angry," Haley said, offering her husband a sweet smile.

"I'm pretty sure stabbing me in the back isn't encompassed by the title, so you're being demoted to 'miss' tonight," He informed her, shrugging his shoulders.

"Stabbing you in the back is a bit excessive, but I suppose I see your point, Mr. Scott," She said, resting her hand on his chest.

"Hands off," He said, taking a step back. "The ultimate betrayal."

"It looks like it went well though," She laughed, raising her eyebrows up at him.

"Ultimate. Betrayal."

"I see," She said, smiling up at him. "Well, I guess I'm going to bed then. Goodnight," She hummed, stepping forward. She stood on her toes, pressing a brief kiss to his lips. "You'll make sure to shut off the lights when you finish up down here?"

He frowned, looking down at her and nodding. "Yeah..." He trailed off.

"Great, thanks baby," Haley hummed, kissing him once more, before turning and heading towards the stairs.

Nathan raised his eyebrows in confusion as he watched Haley head towards the stairs. "Haley?" He asked her.

"Yes?" She paused, turning around to look at him.

He sighed, shaking his head and waving his hand towards the stairs. "Never mind, I'll be up in a minute..." He said, watching her nod, then turn and head up the stairs.

Nathan sat on the couch for a few minutes, then he made sure all of the lights were off, and the doors were locked before following her up the stairs. He stopped in Lydia and Jamie's rooms to make sure they were alright.

When he found them both sleeping, he stepped down the hall, pushing open the bedroom door slowly.

Haley sat in bed, rubbing lotion up her arms, humming softly. She glanced over at him when he came in, smiling slightly.

Nathan met her gaze, a confused look forming on his face. Why didn't she care that he was upset?

He shook his head, heading into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

He walked out a short while later, tugging his shirt over his head, changing into some sweatpants. He tossed his clothes into the hamper, walking over to the bassinet that Brian was sleeping in, smiling down at him.

Haley watched Nathan, taking a moment to admire the muscles in his back as he looked down at their infant child. She couldn't see his face, but she knew the face he was making. The same smile he had whenever he watched their babies sleep. Good lord, he was so soft and precious, she wanted to cling herself to him and never ever let go.

When he turned back around, she made herself busy with continuing to rub in her lotion, letting out a deep breath.

Nathan moved to sit by her in bed, pushing his hand though his hair and leaning back against the headboard. "Okay, I'll bite. Why aren't you upset that I'm angry?" He grumbled out, looking over at her.

"I'm not upset because you're not actually angry," Haley laughed, patting his cheek, lifting up the covers and sliding her legs under them.

He scowled slightly, shaking his head. "What makes you say that?"

"Because, Nathan, it didn't go horribly so you have no reason to he upset," She laughed, reaching behind her and grabbing her book off the nightstand behind their bed.

"First of all, you don't know me," Nathan mimicked, a smirk forming on his face.

Haley smiled at him, rolling her eyes and opening up her book where the place marker was. "You're not mad, Nathan. You're trying to convince me that you are, but you aren't."

He slid closer to her, sighing softly. "I am so..." He grumbled, looking down at her.

"Right," She responded, using her left hand to hold her book steady in her lap. Her right hand rested on his stomach, before she began to move her hand over his torso.

"Are you pretending to read while you're feeling me up?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"No, I'm actually reading while I'm feeling you up," She replied, humming softly.

"I'd probably be turned on if I wasn't so upset right now," He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Baby, you can be the most angry you've ever been with me, and I can still turn you on with the flick of my wrist," She said, glancing over at him and smiling slightly.

He laughed, nodding slowly. "That's fair," He said, glancing down at her hand.

"Are you about done pretending like you're upset, though?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I think so," He responded, sighing contently, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

She laughed, closing her book once again, setting it back down on the nightstand. "Okay, tell me what happened."

He blinked his eyes open, shrugging his shoulders. "He basically told me to let it go," He said, looking over at her.

"Wise words. I think I've heard them before from someone who is very smart, and who you love very dearly," She said, kissing his cheek. "And?"

"And I agreed, and that was that. I mean... It wasn't a big deal. He said that he's grown up in the last little while, and he's grateful for me screwing his head on straight," He said, nodding. "And Clay bailed thanks to you, of course. He was off playing with Lydia."

She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. She brushed her fingertips along his cheek, winking at him. "You really shouldn't be that surprised, Nathan."

"I'm not," He grumbled, shaking his head. "You always do what you think is best for me, Mrs. Scott."

"Oh, good, I've been upgraded back to Mrs. Scott. I was getting worried," She said, pinching his cheek. "If I felt like it would've gone horribly, I wouldn't have done it, I promise. Thank you for not being upset."

"I love you, Hales..." He said, kissing her forehead and smiling at her. "Maybe it's our anniversary just around the corner that's getting to me, but I really do."

She smiled, tapping her fingers on his cheek and kissing him softly. "I love you too, Nathan."

"I avoid things," Nathan said, sighing softly.

"I know," She laughed, nodding at him. "But it's okay, because I do too."

"No you don't," He laughed. "You bitch slapped a pregnant woman. You do not avoid things."

"Watch it," Haley groaned, pushing on his side lightly. "You don't really avoid talking to me about things, Nathan, and that's what matters, right? The rest I can help you with."

He nodded at her, sliding down the bed and letting out a deep breath when his head rested against his pillow.

Haley followed his lead, scooting over to him and resting her head on his chest. "How was the rest of your night?"

"Pretty normal. Nothing crazy happened. Each baby was surprisingly pleasant, so we didn't have one screaming and waking up another," He said, looking up at the ceiling, wrapping his arm around her. "Jamie and Logan had a good time."

"And did you have a good time?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"About as good of a time as I can, considering the circumstances. I still would've liked it better if you had been home. Next time, let's just take the babies and let everyone else go out," He laughed, kissing her head.

"Deal," She responded, humming softly. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"No you're not," Nathan said, rolling his eyes, playing with her hair lightly.

"I'm happy you had the chance to talk to him. Now if I could just get you to do that with Nicole and William, then we'd have smooth sailing from here on out," She said, tapping his chest.

"Haley James, you better shut your mouth right now. You know that we can't say things like that, they always have a way of biting us in the ass," He reminded her, grinning down at her.

"Shit. You're right," Haley hummed, nudging her nose against his chest. "But it's true."

He rubbed his hand over her shoulder lightly, dipping his fingertips under her collar, a light smile still on his face.

"What are you thinking about?" Haley asked him after he'd been quiet for a couple minutes, tracing her finger down the center of his chest.

"There's no way you can't feel my heart racing, you know what I'm thinking about..." He said, smirking down at her.

Haley laughed, looking up at him and kinking one eyebrows. "I have a feeling that wasn't it though."

"Well, you know that's always on my mind. But no, I was thinking about how much I like being a parent, and how much I like having you next to me," He said softly, kissing her head. "The only woman that could ever tame Nathan Scott. Many have tried, one has succeeded."

"All I had to do was snap my fingers," Haley laughed, lifting up her head and looking down at him.

"I crawled into your life for a temporary stay and it was impossible for me to leave," He laughed, holding her tighter against him.

"Best six foot little spoon I've ever had," She teased him, sliding up him briefly and kissing him lightly, before her head fell back onto his chest.

Nathan cleared his throat, looking down at her. "I'm six foot-two, please get it right."

"My sincerest apologies."

"I accept. Now get back up here and kiss me for just a little bit longer."


End file.
